Cuts
by Embyr7
Summary: Brian and Chloe are in an abusive 'relationship'. Chloe's mum is always gone, and Amy and Paul are treating her like a third wheel. Chloe is hurting too much inside, she needs to let out the pain. She starts cutting. Will Alek help her stop? Chalek!
1. I Am A Cutter

"Brian, let me go." He was clutching my arm, and I think my arm was starting to turn purple. I looked down to check. Not purple, but it was losing blood circulation. Yippee.  
>"Seriously!" I tried to pull my arm back, but he grabbed my other arm now.<p>

"Don't talk to me like that, Chloe. All you are is a whore, and you need me. I'm the only one you have." He growled, his eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"I'm not a whore, and I have plenty of people other than you."

"Like who? Your mom? Oh wait-she's halfway across the world over half of the year."

It was true. My mom was always on business trips. I usually didn't mind, but sometimes it just got to me, you know?  
>"I have Amy and Paul, Alek and Jasmine, and even Valentina. Which is a lot more people you have in YOUR life, considering your dad's always working and your mom is DEAD." I snapped.<p>

Then he slapped me.

Yep. Brian SLAPPED ME. I stood there with my head slightly to the side, my expression shocked, holding my red cheek. Now I know what you're thinking. Brian was just so..._nice_ when we first met. Right? Wrong. Apparently it was all an act to get me to trust him. Now he was just another person in my life who wanted to harm me, along with the Order. I almost went Mai on him, but I stopped myself just in time.

Instead, I glared at him. Yep. Nice fighting back, huh? It's just that every time I looked at Brian's face, I'm reminded of the fun times we had back then when he was the sweet, caring Brian. Now we were in an abusive relationship, which wasn't even a relationship, really, because I'm not aloud to kiss him.

"Don't hit me." I growled. He smacked me again. I should've seen that coming...  
>"I can do whatever the hell I want with you!" I pulled out of his grasp and ran home. Home to an empty house, no father, no mother, no friends.<p>

Don't get me wrong. I love Amy and Paul, but sometimes they were just too wrapped up in themselves and their relationship that I feel like a third wheel around them. I ran to my room and cried, tears stinging my eyes and wetting my cheeks. I fell against a wall and slid down, sobbing uncontrollably. I reached in my bag and pulled out my knife. I pulled up my sleeve and made a deep, long cut across my wrist.

I know what you're thinking: WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? PUT THE KNIFE DOWN AND STOP HARMING YOURSELF.

But I can't help it. I need the physical pain to be stronger than the pain I feel inside, the loneliness I feel in my heart, or I just can't make it.

It would drive me crazy.  
>I, Chloe King, am a cutter.<p> 


	2. Promise Me

I watched my blood drip down my wrist and fall onto my lap, staining my jeans. I sat there for over an hour, crying. I only made two more cuts-trying to control myself.

Suddenly, the window opened and Alek burst through.

"Chloe, I smell blood. Are you-"

He looked at the knife beside me, and my wrist, and my tear-stained face. His eyebrows crinkled, wondering if I did that to myself or if an assassin did.

Damn it. I was trying so hard to hide it from them, especially him. But I was off-guard. My cuts were too deep, and I was getting kinda dizzy.  
>Alek soundlessly walked over and chucked the knife into my garbage bin. I stared at it. Whatever. I can get a new one. He picked me up and set me on my bed, and grabbed the first aid kid. Then he started wrapping up my arm, not talking.<p>

I sniffled, which seemed to bring him back to reality. He looked up, his face angry.

"Chloe," he started. "Why?"

I didn't say anything, wondering if I should lie or if I should tell the truth.

"Don't lie to me. Tell me the truth."

Truth it is...

"I need it," I whispered.

"You _need_ it? You're hurting yourself!" He scooted me over and sat beside me, holding my hand.

"If I don't, then I feel like I'll go crazy from all the hurt inside."

"All the hurt inside?"

"My mum is always gone, Amy and Paul barely talk to me anymore, and Bri-"

Ohh. I don't think I should tell Alek about Brian.

"Brian _what?_" His anger making his British accent more pronounced.

Whoops. Too late now.

"Brian abuses me." I whispered, my left arm subconsciously moving to press the bruise I had on my right upper arm.

Alek's claws came out, his eyes turning to slits. He grabbed my arm and pulled my sleeve up. There were bruises in the shape of Brian's fingertips. I started crying.

He pulled me into his lap and placed his chin on top of my head.

"You still have me. No matter what, you'll always have me."

I nodded.

"Promise me?"

"Promise you what?"

"Promise me you'll stop." His fingers stroking my bandages.

I didn't say anything.

"I'll help you through it." He said softly. "Promise."

I took a shaky breath.

"I promise."


	3. Sharing is Caring

The rays of sunshine burst through my windows, waking me up. I turned around so I didn't have to open my eyes to the..brightness.

It was warm. Really warm. I snuggled deeper into my pillow.  
>Pillows aren't muscled..<p>

I opened my eyes to see a sleeping Alek. I smiled and stared at his face. His blond eyelashes were long-I wanted to touch them.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I jumped, and grabbed it. Before I answered it, I looked back at Alek, thinking that he would be awake and alert. He was still sleeping like a baby.

"Some protector you are," I mumbled. "Hello?" I answered the phone.

"Chloe," a voice said. Oh. I didn't check the Caller ID. I checked. Crap, it was Brian.

"Brian," I said back in the same tone of voice.

"Where did you go?"

"I went to a club, got drunk, hooked up with about seven guys, and now I'm at one of their houses. Where do you think I am? I'm at home." I heard Alek chuckle. Maybe he did wake up.

"Remember what happened last time you were being disrespectful," Brian grunted. "Anyway, meet me for coffee in about half an hour."

I bit my lip. "I-I don't want to."

"_What_?"

"I said, I'm not going to meet you for coffee." I tried to say it boldly. But I think I sounded like a scared little girl. Which is kind of what I am, but ya know.

"Well _I _said that you are." Brian retorted. Alek grabbed the phone out of my hands.

"Well _she_ said that she didn't want to, so I suggest you leave her the hell alone before I kick your balls off." Alek grumbled sleepily.

"Excuse me? Chloe said she was kidding about hooking up with.."

"She didn't go to a CLUB, stupid, I'm her friend. And we slept together _all. Night._" Alek wiggled his eyebrows at me. I threw my head back and laughed. I was enjoying this. I rolled my eyes as Brian spluttered, trying to think of something to say. I grabbed the phone back.  
>"You know, Brian, we're done. We weren't even together, so I don't even know why I let you treat me like that. So I hope you have a bad life. Good-bye." I hung up. Alek and I looked at each other for a second and cracked up. For once in my life, I was glad my mum was on a business trip.<p>

"How was your sleep?" I asked, wiping tears out of my eyes.

"Good. I dreamed about a girl...she had pretty blonde curly hair, and her name was Chloe."

I rolled my eyes. Whatever, Mr. Romantic. I'm gonna go shower. On the way to my bathroom, I passed my trashcan. I quickly glanced in. I was just curious, okay? The surprisingly, the knife wasn't there anymore.

"Really, Alek? I'm going to try to stop. Did you really get up in the middle of the night and throw the knife away?" I whirled around and asked. He sat up and looked at me.  
>"I didn't..." His hair was all tousled from sleep. He looked cute. Wait. What?<p>

"What do you mean you didn't? There's no knife in there, and I am very sure you chucked it in there last night."

"I mean, I didn't throw the knife outside or anything. I left it in there." He got up and moved to look into the trashcan with me.

"Wha..?" Then, one of the floorboards on the stairs creaked. The second one up, in the middle more to the right. Yes. I know where my house is creaks. Alek and I extended out claws, and spun around to face the door. We ran over to my closed door as quickly and quietly as we could, and I silently dropped to the floor to look under the door crack for feet. It reminded me of when I was little, and I would play hide-and-seek with my mum and dad, and I would look under doors for their feet just to squeal and scamper back to my hiding spot when I saw them coming.

Really, Chloe? You think about this NOW, when there might be an assassin in your house? Focus!  
>I saw a figure moving slowly up the stairs, probably trying to avoid anymore creaky ones. Well the third one down was creaky on the left. Wait for it...<em>creaaakk.<em> Yep.

But then I heard another creak. But there were no other creaky stairs? I looked closer, my nose pressed against the ground. There were more. About four people, to be exact.

I stood up and nodded silently to Alek, holding up four fingers. So they probably couldn't find any of weapons downstairs, (mum and I keep the knives in a special hiding place. Did I mention she's paranoid of robbers?) and looked for them upstairs. They saw the knife in the trash can, and probably didn't want to take on two mai. So they went downstairs to wait for the rest of their team. Well, looks like the team got here. That is soo dirty, killing two teenagers in their sleep.

Alek counted down with his fingers. 5...4...3...2...1!

I slammed the door open, causing it to hit the wall behind it with a loud and dramatic bang. We sprang. I went towards the one who, of course, had my knife in his hands. I could see my dry blood on it. Uhm, ew? I swiftly punched his face and grabbed the knife. But he saw it coming, and cut my hand.

"I'm a cutter, that feels good." I snarled. But it really didn't. It actually hurt. A lot. So I fought through the pain, and soon enough he was unconscious on the floor.

I turned my head to check on Alek. He already took down the other three guys.

"Hey, sharing is caring!" I joked. He was standing there panting, rolling his eyes.  
>"Are you okay?" He checked my body for any wounds.<p>

"Just this." I held up my hand.

"Yep. I heard. You said that you _are_ a cutter, not that you were." He looked a little sad.

"Sorry. Just a..spur of the moment trying-to-be-funny in the middle of a dramatic fight scene type of comment. Didn't really give it much thought." I shrugged. He wrapped up my hand, and I wrapped up his stomach, where he got cut a few times.

I turned around to put the first-aid kit back, and I felt his arms wrap around my stomach.

"I'm really glad you're okay." He whispered, his chin on my shoulder.

"I'm glad you're okay, too." I whispered back. I turned around in his arms, and I looked at him, biting my lip. He got closer, and closer...

And we kissed.

And it felt like magic.


	4. Umbrella

_And we kissed. And it felt like magic._

**CPOV**

He moved his hands to my waist, and deepened the kiss. I ran my hands through his silky hair and wrapped my arms around his neck. We pulled apart and he took my hand. We were standing in front of the window in my room, and sunlight was still shining through bright as ever.

His eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks, and I saw the shadows flick. He had taken my hand, and looked down at my scars. He was stroking them softly with this thumb. I felt awkward. It was uncomfortable letting him-or anyone, for that matter-see my scars.

"Self injury isn't good," He muttered, his right hand reaching out and pulling on one of my curls. "Why would you start cutting for _Brian_? That good-for-nothing human." He hesitated, and the shadows flicked again. He looked up, eyebrows crinkled. "You really care for him, don't you?"

"Yes. I don't know why, but I do." I sighed.

"Well, he doesn't care for you, I'm sorry to say." He stated matter-of-factly. I sighed.

"I know he doesn't."

"You don't need him, though. You have me." He looked down and smiled very sweetly at me. I smiled back.

"Yes. I have you. And I'm glad." I laughed back, wrapping my arms around his waist and bear-hugging him as hard as I could. He was making a cute fake-choking sound. I rolled my eyes and pulled back.

"You're not even turning purple or anything!" I pouted. He rolled his eyes and laughed playfully.

"You wanna feel a real bear-hug?" He stuck his arms out and stepped forward. I started at his huge arm muscles and widened my eyes.

"No ,thank you." I stepped back and giggled nervously.

"I'm gonna go home and change and stuff. Basketball practice." He shrugged. "Training tonight! Be ready." He called through the window.

**NIGHT TIME.**

I put on black jeans, black leather boots, a black long-sleeved shirt and my leather jacket. I looked out the window-it was pouring rain! I don't get why they would make me train tonight. I pouted.

"Alek!" I called. He jumped into my window.

"Yes, love?"

Even though my heart melted at 'love', I stayed firm.

"Do we have to train tonight? Look how hard it's raining!" I motioned out the window. A flash of lightning illuminated our faces in the dark room, making my point even more strong.

I saw his eyes soften.

"Sorry, Chlo. Jazz is a meany butt and won't let us skip. I already asked." I blinked. And then cracked up.

"A...a _meany butt_? I can not believe you just SAID that!" I said between loud cackles.

Alek threw his head back and laughed. "You're _cackling__!" _

Jasmine came into my window. "I am not a 'meany butt'. Let's just go." She smiled and rolled her eyes. We went outside and almost immediately I was drenched. The wind was painfully whipping my hair around my face and neck. We started jumping rooftops, and I could barely keep my eyes open, the rain pelting my face. After about forty-five minutes I couldn't take it anymore.

"Can we stop?" I gasped out. Alek and Jasmine immediately stopped, catching their breath. We were all shivering violently, chilled to the bone.

"I don't get why I need to train! Alek and I were perfectly fine with the order members in my house." I huffed.

"Yes, but next time there will probably be more of them. And you'll probably be alone." Jasmine explained. Suddenly, my phone rang, causing all three of us to jump a little. I brought it to my ear, using my hair to keep it dry. Not that my hair was any less wet than the rain falling from the sky, but you know.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Chloe King! I come home from my business trip and my daughter is not there! Where are you?" She snaps. Shit. My mom is home. My eyes widened, and I frantically tried to think of an excuse. I was never good at lying. Even over the phone.

"I'm-I'm at Jasmine and Alek's house. I'm sleeping over. You never told me you were coming home today." I stuttered.

"Well, I am." She retorted. "Come home this instant."

"But-I- uhm. Okay. Give me an hour or so to pack and everything.." I hung up.

"Someone's a little cranky from their business trip." I muttered. I looked up at Alek and Jasmine, who were in the exact same stance. Eyebrows raised, arms crossed. I almost laughed.

"I've gotta to your house and borrow a suitcase. And dry clothes." I looked at them. "Let's go." So we ran all the way back, which was at least 15 miles, might I add. By the time we were there I seriously thought my lungs were going to burst and that my heart was going to burst out of my chest.

We ran into the elevator, and I collapsed onto the floor, leaning my head back on one of the walls, panting heavily. Alek and Jasmine were breathing hard, too, but not as hard as I was.

We ran into their apartment and Alek pushed my into the shower, and ran off to help Jasmine pack my 'overnight bag'. I took the fastest shower ever-2 minutes, and just ran out with my dripping hair. I'll just pretend I showered and wasn't out in the rain for half of the night. I was about to run out but then-I realized I was naked. I just stood there for a while, stunned. I looked around for a towel-and I found none. Ugh.

I stuck my head out the door. "Jazzy?" I called.

"Jasmine had to go to an emergency Mai meeting with Valentina." Alek called from a room.

Great. Just great! "Uhmm..I don't have any clothes.." I shuffled my bare feet against the cold linoleum floor.

"Oh! Just...hold on for a second.." His accent more pronounced from embarrassment. I stood there looking at the floor. He came back a few minutes later. Thank god Jasmine and I were the same size. He got me dark blue skinny jeans, a cream colored long-sleeved V-neck shirt with lace in the back, and underwear. I closed my eyes. Dear lord.

"Alek..?"

"Yes..?" He called back.

"Uhmm...I kind of need...a bra?" I squeaked out.

"Oh!" He chucked nervously. "Sorry.." He ran back into Jasmine's room.

**APOV**

God. What if Jasmine walked back into her room for some reason and saw me going through her bras? I shuddered. How could that get any more awkward? I just plucked a random one and sprinted back to the bathroom. I knocked.

"Chloe? Here." She opened the door a crack and her pale wrist came out, and snatched the bra. Every time I see those scars against her pale skin, it saddens me a little.

"Thanks." Came her soft reply. She came out, and every time I see her is like the first time. Her beauty stuns me. I smirked at her.

"Let's go." She grabbed an umbrella and ran out. I followed her and took the umbrella from her hand. Since I was taller, I was obligated to hold it. We were strolling home in the rain, and I couldn't help but think of how romantic this was. I grabbed her hand, and she squeezed back.

But then she froze, and I heard her heartbeat accelerate.

"Brian." She whispered.


	5. He Knows

_But then she froze, and I heard her heartbeat accelerate._

_"Brian." She whispered._

**APOV**

"Chloe." Brian cocked an eyebrow and glanced at me. "Why are you holding that little twerp's hand? I'm your boyfriend."

I felt Chloe subconsciously step back a little, and she pressed herself against my chest.

Her voice shook a little as she replied.

"I was never, and never will be your girlfriend." Chloe said, and with each word her voice got stronger, more confident.

"What are you talking about? You loved me." Brian walked forward, right in front of us now. I felt Chloe grip my hand tighter, and I looked at her face. She looked frightened.

"Alright." I stepped in front of her and gave her the umbrella, stepping out of its dry protection and into the wet rain. "Let's get one thing straight. Chloe never loved you, and never will. How could she love a lying, abusive little _mutt_? You're the reason she started cutting herself, got it? So stay away from her." I threatened.

Brian blinked at me, then threw his head back and started cackling. I cocked an eyebrow, smirking. Did this pathetic little human think he could honestly beat me? I may still be in high school, but he didn't know we were Mai.

"I have never hit Chloe in my whole entire life." He said.

"That," Chloe stepped forward. "is the biggest, most pathetic lie I have ever heard."

"When? When have I ever hit you?"

"Um, try a couple nights ago, when you _slapped_ me across the face?" I cringed a little. Any thought of Chloe getting hurt pained me.

I heard Brian growl and clench his fist.

"What? You going to fight us?" I smirked.

"No. Because I know I won't win...alone. I know what you are, Chloe. I know that you're Mai. You're a filthy, disgusting _animal_."

My eyes widened, and Chloe's heart beat accelerated a little.

"W-what?" She laughed nervously. "What's Mai?"

"Don't lie to me. It's an ancient race, descendants of the goddess, Bastet. And your little boyfriend over here is Mai, too. That's why you wouldn't kiss me."

"How do you _know_ all of this?" I asked, bewildered. Was he Mai, too?

"Because my father is the leader of the Order. And I am joining him. This organization was made to execute anybody we can from your race, and we _will_ get you." Brian said ominously, his face half in shadows. Then he slunk away into the rain, turned a corner, and was gone.

Chloe was half-paralyzed from shock and fear. She was gripping the umbrella firmly, her white hand shaking. I walked back to her and took the umbrella, but it was no use. I was already dripping wet. I held her cold hand in mine and we silently started walking back to our house.

She was jumping at every rustle, and she held my hand so tight I think it was losing blood circulation. But it didn't matter. I would keep Chloe safe, no matter what.

We walked back to her house, and she stepped in through the front door with the umbrella, and I slipped in through her window and went in her closet. We trained a lot in the rain, so Jasmine and I kept an extra pair of clothes in Chloe's closet. I slipped on the tight blue T-shirt, my brown beat-up leather jacket, and a pair of jeans. Suddenly, I heard a crash downstairs. Chloe and her mom were yelling at each other, and pretty soon I heard Chloe stomp up the stairs. She violently kicked her door open, walked inside, spun on her heel, and kicked it closed. The walls shook a little. She flopped onto her bed and cried.

I stood there awkwardly, wet clothes in hand. I dropped it in her sink and walked back. I sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing her back.

"It'll be okay." I soothed.

"No it won't." She looked up at me with her tear-stained face. "I _hate_ her, Alek. I hate her."

"Well, I hope you're not talking about me." Chloe's mom stood in the doorway, eyebrows raised, arms crossed.


	6. Breathe

**Sorry it's been kinda long D: My laptop got a virus and I couldn't go on it for like, ever. :/ **

**Anywayss. Have any of you heard of He is We? I. Am. Obsessed.3 Seriously. And you probably don't care. I haven't done a disclaimer yet, so..I dont' own 9lock. D:**

**I would like to make a shout-out to theregoesnash. Your review made me smile so big it hurt. YOU'RE MAGIC.3**

**Ohk. On with the story!**

_"No it won't." She looked up at me with her tear-stained face. "I hate her, Alek. I hate her."_

_"Well, I hope you're not talking about me." Chloe's mom stood in the doorway, eyebrows raised, arms crossed._

**CPOV**

Uh oh. I sat up and glared.

"Learn to knock." I said.

"It's my house, I get to go anywhere I want." She argued back. "By the way-what is _he_ doing here? First I come home to see that you've snuck out, and now _boys_ are in your bedroom?"

"Okay. First of all? I wasn't 'sneaking out'. You weren't even home, and there aren't any house rules on which days I can go out, and how late I can stay out. And second of all, there aren't any house rules whether I can have people over or not." I retorted.

We argued back and forth for about ten minutes. I could practically feel Alek's awkwardness coming off of his body in waves as he sat on my bed, avoiding eye contact.

Finally, my mom left after making some new house rules. It wasn't like I was going to follow them anyways, though. She also kicked Alek out. It was weird watching him use our front door for once. I didn't mind. I knew he would just climb back up to my window anyway.

She slammed the door on Alek's face. "Now I must go pack. I'm leaving again tomorrow." She said stonily.

"What else is new around here?" I muttered. I forgot how bitchy my mom could be. She wasn't like that before – she started leaving a lot when I was around fourteen years old. I guess the business trips made her more serious and cranky.

I heard my phone beep. I have a new text. It was from Brian.

'We will get you.' it read.

I couldn't take it. All of my emotions swirled deep inside my stomach. Fear, anger, hurt, pain. I pulled open my drawer and pulled out a small knife. Just a small cut wouldn't hurt, right? No. It wouldn't. I needed to let my feelings out. I was so overwhelmed that I was getting dizzy, and I sat down, my head spinning. My breathing was erratic and I gripped the blade so tight that my fingers turned white. The cold metal touched my skin and my heartbeat accelerated, knowing what was to come. I pressed down and it cot a little into my skin. With the small drops of blood being drawn out, I could feel my fear and anger being numbed, and I concentrated on the pain.

Suddenly, I heard my window open and Alek came running in. He took the blade and chucked in across the room, onto the floor.

"Chloe!" He screamed. His face showed hurt, anger and disbelief.

"It was just a small cut." I whispered, not meeting his eyes.

"You said you would quit. You _promised._ Can't you stop? Can't you stop for me?" He pleaded.

"I'm trying. I really am." I took a deep breath, my voice shaky. Alek look through all of my drawers, finding three more small knives. He took them all and ran outside, tossing them into our trash bin. He came back in and washed my cut.

He cooled down, no longer angry. Just sad. He looked so sad I wanted to cry for him. Even though I knew I was the reason for his sadness. He flipped off the lights and held me in bed. He was humming, rocking my back and forth.

"Sing to me?" I whispered, expecting him to scoff and say something along the lines of, 'I don't sing.'

He was real quiet for a moment, but then he started up:

Harness your heart, and be still now.  
>Quiet that mind that will wander,<br>All sorts of dark alleys.  
>Tragedy strikes your self esteem,<br>Constantly waiting for an ending,  
>To all of this.<br>She opens her eyes,

Suddenly she cries.  
>Can we help her, can we help her?<br>And she replies.  
>You know, she fakes it oh so well,<br>That God himself can't tell.  
>What she means and why ger words are,<br>Less than parallel.  
>With my feet,<br>I ask her what she really needs,  
>And all she really needs,<br>Is to breathe.

People, they seem so interested.  
>Only a few get invested,<br>With all the aches and pains.  
>Doctor oh, doctor,<br>Please help her.  
>I fear she may not be breathing.<br>Blue lips, and doe eyes,  
>That's her disguise.<br>You know, she fakes it oh so well,  
>That God himself can't tell.<br>What she means and why her words are,  
>Less than parallel.<br>With my feet,  
>I ask her what she really needs.<br>And all she really needs,  
>Is to breathe.<br>Give her some space to breathe,  
>She needs a little room to breathe.<br>Give her some space to breathe,  
>All she needs is a little room to breathe.<br>She fakes it oh so well,  
>That God can't tell.<br>You know, she fakes it oh so well,  
>That God himself can't tell.<br>What she means and why her words are,  
>Less than parallel.<br>With my feet,  
>I ask her what she really needs<p>

And all she really needs,  
>Is to breathe.<br>Let her breathe.

He finishes, and the crickets' chirping is left in the background as his voice disappears. I realize what that song meant. I took a deep breath and smiled shakily.

"Thank you." I whispered.

"For what?" Came his British accent.

"I know what that song was saying, Alek. I can take a hint." I replied sleepily. He kissed the top of my head and mumbled a faint "You're welcome."

**Meredith's POV**

I was standing outside of Chloe's bedroom, my back pressed against her door. The Alek kid had climbed through her window again. Suddenly, I heard him singing to her. I smiled, remembering my missing husband. That boy is the one for her.

I don't mean to be so harsh to Chloe. I'm just so stressed all of the time. And sometimes I figure that if I'm horrid to her, then she would miss me less when I'm gone.

But I realize now that she's probably missing me right now, the old me. Even when I'm here, I'm not really with her. I will apologize tomorrow.

I walked back to my room, and my door closed, blocking out the boy's soft singing.

He was good for her.

**Okay! I'm going to reply to reviews and such![:**

**Oh, and by the way: the song is Breathe by He is We. I just changed up some lyrics so it would make sense in a boy's point of view. Ahhaha.**

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	7. It Takes a Tragedy

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**Aya Ml: Oh my gosh your review was so long! I loved it! First of all, thank you for loving this story. It really means a lot. And yea-at first I was going to make Meredith really bad but then I realized it would be better if some of Chloe's and her mom's relationship from the show leaked into my story, so yea. And yes, Alek was singing to Chloe. Ain't he a sweetie pie? ;D I want Ben to sing to me.]: That would be amazing. Ahahaha. And I'm glad Alek didn't get too mad at Chloe, too. Because without Alek, Chloe practically has no one in this story! But don't worry. Amy and Paul are going to come soon.[: And about the Brian thing-you're just going to have to read and find out.[; Sorry, dearie. Gotta have the readers comin' back! Ahahah. Again, thank you for your amazingly long review. Love you!**

**TwilightFreak28: You're welcome! Again, you make me blush. :'D You're amazing, dearie.**

**anoymous: GIRL, I LOVE YOU! Unless you're a guy..then..GUY, I LOVE YOU! My next update? Is..now. [;**

**Blackwidow927: Thank you[: **

**VannaMa'Kayla: Awh, thank you! :'D I'm dying to know where I take this, too...ahaha. I really don't know. I know. That's bad. D: I don't plan my stories though. Whenever I do that they turn out bad. So I just kind of..go with the flow. Ahahah. **

**panaricanchick: Oh, really? Did you cry? ]: Sorry. Ahahah. Thank you so much[': **

**Chloe's POV**

I woke up, Alek's arms wrapped around my waist. His spicy, familiar scent filled my nose as I pressed my face deeper into his chest. He shifted and kissed the top of my head and mumbled something I couldn't make out. We stayed like that for a long time. It was the most peaceful I've felt in a long time.

Suddenly, my laptop made a 'ding' noise, signaling a new email. The sudden noise surprised me, and I flinched. Alek got up and rubbed his eyes, muttering a 'good morning, love.' and walking to the bathroom. Once the door clicked closed, I lunged off of my bed and grabbed my laptop. I positioned my face towards the door, so the laptop screen was away from it.

The email was from my father. It was sent late last night. I opened it and read: I'm sorry. Goodbye, Chloe.

I blinked at the screen, sleep still fogging my vision. _What?_ What does he mean by...?

Alek walked out of the bathroom, now with a navy blue v-neck shirt, jeans, and a black leather jacket. His hair was all messed up in the right places and his eyes were wide awake now. I quickly exited the tab and slammed the laptop shut. I looked up and let out a nervous giggle.

Wooow. Way to play it cool, Chloe.

He narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, I jumped up and ran to my closet to change. I got a flowy white long-sleeved shirt, and it hung loosely to about half my thigh. I slipped on black tights and brown combat boots. I placed three gold dangly necklaces around my neck and a two-finger ring that had a key on it. I grabbed a brown leather jacket and let my curls hang loosely down my back. I came out and grabbed a long black bag with gold zippers that I hung on my left shoulder, letting it fall to my knees.

Alek had moved my laptop onto my desk, and was listening to my iPod on the bed. The phone rang, and I heard my mom answer it.

'Oh, so she's still home?' I thought bitterly. I walked over and yanked the earphones out of Alek's ears.

"Let's go. I'm gonna be late for work."

He smirked. "I'll meet you outside." He replied, kissing me on the cheek and then slipping gracefully out the window. I took a deep breath.

Time to face the she-devil. I slowly and silently walked down the wooden stairs, the small heels on my boots making it hard to be quiet on the wooden floor. I pictured the scene in my head: My mom would turn from whatever she was doing, eyebrow cocked, hand on hip, and ask me where I'm going.

I would roll my eyes and reply snarkily, and she would give me a long lecture on respecting my elders and manners.

But the scene before me was nothing of what I expected. Nothing at all. My mother was on the kitchen floor, looking petrified. Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks. The phone lay on the floor, cracked. She probably dropped it.

"Mom? What is it?" I knelt in front of her, and she did a little double-take. What was wrong with her? She didn't even know that I came downstairs? I mean, she's not a Mai, but I'm sure even she could hear my boots clacking on the wood.

She rasped out something I couldn't make out.

"What did you say?" I cocked my head.

"Your father...they found his body." She whispered.

And then time slowed down. I know, I know! 'That is so cheesy, that only happens in movies, bleh bleh bleh.' But no. It really did feel like that. I couldn't hear anything except for the blood rushing to my ears, and my fluttering heartbeat. My breathing became shallow and I clutched my bag tighter to me, needing something to hang on to.

"What? When..where?" I asked. I was too shocked to cry. Too shocked to even move from the uncomfortable position I was squatting in.

She gulped. "His body..was in the bottom of Stow Lake. **(Is that the body of water under the Golden Gate Bridge? If it's not..let's just pretend it is. Eheh.) **They think..they think he jumped off of the bridge. His body was still...new. His jump must have been recent."

Oh, god. The email. The goodbye. I jumped up.

"I, ah..I've got to get to work, Mom. I'll be home in a couple hours." I mumbled. And I sprinted. I sprinted out the door, leaving the jacket that was draped over my arm on the floor in front of my mom. I sprinted down my driveway and I just ran down my street. I wasn't even going in the direction of where I work. I didn't know where I was going. I just ran.

I heard Alek's footsteps behind me, and I knew he would let me run. He would let me run, but he would run with me. He would protect me. Alek would always, _always_ be there for me.

Suddenly, I knew where I was going. I got there the second the last ambulance and news van pulled away from the scene.

I spotted the reporter in one of the vans, and I laughed bitterly.

"This makes such an interesting story, doesn't it? A story juicy enough for all of the old ladies to gossip about. A man just jumped off of the Golden Gate Bridge! Can you believe it? What a waste of a life! But those people-those news reporters and everyone else..they never think of the reason why. They never think of the family the person left behind, how much pain the person was in. They never think of how scared and alone the person must have felt to have taken their own life...and if they were just doing it to protect a loved one..'He was such a beautiful man.' they'll all say. But why don't they say it when he's alive? Why don't we tell each other we're beautiful and that we care about each other when the person's _alive?_ Why does someone have to die for you to compliment them and tell them that their life is worth living?" I ranted, tears streaming down my face. I looked at Alek, and he was speechless, just looking at me sadly with his warm brown eyes.

I let out a sob and ran the few steps into his arms, not wanting to think of what just happened.

"I don't know, Chloe. I don't know why it takes a tragedy to bring out the best in people." I could hear Alek struggling for words. I could barely hear him, though. I was crying so loud people from the street were looking over.

We sank to the floor, and I laid on my back, trying to calm my breathing.

"Why do you think he did it?" I sniffled.

"I-" Alek stuttered. "I'm not sure, love. I really don't know."

The next few weeks were confusing. Amy and Paul found out about what happened, and they apologized immensely for ignoring me for the past couple months. We were three peas in a pod again, and Paul was playfully annoying Alek with more Mai questions. My mom told me why she was so harsh all the time, and she made a deal with her boss about going on less business trips. Brian kept sending me creepy and threatening texts, most of which I tried to ignore, and hide from Alek.

Today was the day. Today was my father's funeral. I dressed in a black dress. It had spaghetti straps and synching under my chest. It fell to around my knees. I had a long coat on over it, one that didn't zip up or button. It was thick and heavy, and it hung on my shoulders like a weight. My hair was up in an intricate braided crown, and weaved into the braids were black ribbons. I weaved the ribbons in so that they looked like a part of my hair, and you could only catch glimpses of them. They didn't hang around my neck or anything like that. I had on black bracelets and heels.

"Ready to go?" Alek was in a suit, and he smiled sadly. I smiled sadly back.

"No, but let's go anyways."

We got to the church, and the feeling in the air made me want to run away. But Alek gripped my hand, and we walked through the doors. Everyone was making their rounds to the coffin, and when it was my turn, I gripped Alek's hand hard.

I'll admit it.

I was afraid. I was afraid of what I would see. But it just looked like he was sleeping. They dressed his body up in a suit, and I looked at him. At his short hair, his tan skin...there was one thing though. The watch he always wore on his right wrist wasn't there.

It must have fallen off when he...jumped. I still desperately wanted to know why, and I knew that I would do everything in my power to figure out the reason. The sleeve of his suit was pulled up a little, and while I was staring at his empty wrist, something bluish-black stood out to me.

Curious, I looked closer.

There, tattooed on his wrist, was a thing that made me gasp and step back, eyes wide.

It was the symbol of the Order.


	8. When you're Gone

**VannaMa'Kayla: You are seriously like, the sweetest thing in the history of world.[': AHAHAH yes. Most of my guy friends don't watch 9LOCK...[; Except for my one friend Brandon. He comes over and we have reruns of Pretty Little Liars and 9LOCK together. And you definitely needed to know that..ahha. Thank you so much for reviewing! :D**

**ScissorLuv21: OMG! I don't know.. **_**did**_** he commit suicide for Chloe? Or did he get pushed? Or is it something else entirely? :O I dunno. Gotta keep reading and find out. Ahahaha. Yes. All British accents are yummy. I wish I had one. ]: I love your reviews.[: Thank you!**

**Catlover10808: Gasp! Maybe! Keep reading.[;**

**Aya Ml: Oh my gosh, thank you so much. XD I reread your review like, a bajillion times 'cause it made me so happy.[: And Jasmine is going to come into the story soon. Either this chapter or the next. Thanks for reviewing! :'D**

**TwilightFreak28: Thank you so much! ^_^ **

**XxAlekis so minexX: b bb to you too..? Ahhaha..**

**panaricanchick: Yes, interesting, very interesting. I wonder, too. ;]P **

**ashley: Awwh you're so sweet.[: I'm updating! Ahaha thank you for reviewing!**

_There, tattooed on his wrist, was a thing that made me gasp and step back, eyes wide._

_It was the symbol of the Order._

**Alek's POV**

Chloe scrunched her eyebrows together and took a step closer to the coffin, looking at her father's wrist. Suddenly, she jerked back and gasped.

"Chloe?" I moved my arm around her waist to support her so she wouldn't fall down. "What's wrong?"

"H-his.." Her eyes were glued to her father's wrist. So I looked at it. And my blood froze. It was a symbol of the _order_.

People started looking at us curiously, so I practically carried Chloe to one of the seats.

"It's..I'm sure it's nothing, love." I soothingly rubbed her back.

"What do you mean it's _nothing?_ He has a tattoo of a symbol of the _Order_ on his wrist. You know-the organization out to kill me?" she hissed.

Suddenly, Chloe's mom came up to the podium, sniffling and teary-eyed.

"I would like everyone to say their last words to my husband." She swallowed. "You can say a poem, sing a song, or just talk. But I'm sure he would like to hear your words in heaven." She dabbed at her eyes. Chloe widened her eyes.

"I didn't prepare anything.." She whispered as her mom made a long speech about how much she loved him.

"So sing something." I whispered back.

"I can't sing!" She exclaimed. I shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. No one will care-it's a funeral, love."

She sighed. "Fine."

"And so I would like to introduce my daughter, Chloe, to say something about her father." Her mom ushered Chloe up, and Chloe fidgeted at the microphone nervously.

"Hi." She said. "I'm..going to be singing a song. For my daddy." She said. She cleared her throat and looked at me. I nodded encouragingly.

She cleared her throat again and started singing:

I always needed time on my own  
>I never thought I'd need you there when I cry<br>And the days feel like years when I'm alone  
>And the bed where you lie is made up on your side<br>When you walk away I count the steps that you take  
>Do you see how much I need you right now?<br>When you're gone  
>The pieces of my heart are missing you<br>When you're gone  
>The face I came to know is missing too<br>When you're gone  
>The words I need to hear to always get me through<br>The day and make it okay  
>I miss you<br>I've never felt this way before  
>Everything that I do reminds me of you<br>And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor  
>And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do<br>When you walk away I count the steps that you take  
>Do you see how much I need you right now?<br>When you're gone

The pieces of my heart are missing you  
>And when you're gone<br>The face I came to know is missing too  
>And when you're gone<br>The words I need to hear to always get me through  
>The day and make it okay<br>I miss you  
>We were made for each other<br>Out here forever  
>I know we were, yeah<br>And all I ever wanted was for you to know  
>Everything I'd do, I'd give my heart and soul<br>I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me, yeah  
>When you're gone<br>The pieces of my heart are missing you  
>And when you're gone<br>The face I came to know is missing too  
>And when you're gone<br>All the words I need to hear will always get me through  
>The day and make it okay<br>I miss you

She ended her song and she hurriedly placed the microphone back onto its stand, not even waiting for applause. She practically ran to the seat next to me and buried her face into my shirt.

Her voice was..amazing. I was still in shock. When she started singing I swear everyone in the audience held their breath. I wrapped my arms around her and rocked her back and forth as other people made their way to the podium.

So, all in all, the funeral was a disaster. But it would be weird if Chloe _wasn't_ crying. We got home and she asked me to wait on the roof a little as she showered and changed into pajamas. I nodded and ran home to change out of my suit. Her mom locked herself in her bedroom, and we could both hear her crying and flipping through picture albums.

I came back, and Chloe was on her bed, curled into a little tight ball. I sighed and I lifted her under the covers, and crawled in with her.

"Do you think he was ordered to kill me? Do you think that's why he killed himself? Is it my fault?" She whispered.

**CPOV**

"Do you think he was ordered to kill me? Do you think that's why he killed himself? Is it my fault?" I whispered. I was curled up under the covers with Alek, and I've never felt more safe in my life. His arms were my safe spot, my happy spot. His arms tightened around me, and I heard him inhale sharply.

"Absolutely not. Why in the world would you think it's your fault? You haven't seen him since you were _eight_." He said. I still wasn't convinced. We were silent for a really long time.

"You smell nice." I said. Out of the seriousness of the situation, I had to say it. Because my nose was smushed up against his chest and he did. He smelled incredible.

He burst out laughing. "It's called bathing. Try it." He teased me. I laughed, remembering the time he pushed me into a wall at school.

"How do you do it?" I asked, smiling."

"Do what?" He asked, confused.

"Make me laugh when I'm sure I can't even smile."

He smirked. This is what love is supposed to be like. Natural and caring and fun. I'm sure he wasn't trying to make me smile or laugh-he was just being himself. And that's what I loved. He wasn't saying "I'm sorry for your loss" or anything. He was just..comforting in his own ways.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" I grinned. He grinned back.

"I dunno. Have I ever told you that I love you?"

"Nope. I'd like to hear it again." I teased.

"Well, then. I love you." He kissed the top of my head. "We should sleep now. It's getting pretty late.." He drifted off. I blinked at him in surprise. Did he seriously just fall asleep in like, five seconds?

I laid in bed in his warm arms for about forty-five minutes, trying to fall asleep. Alek mumbled a little in his sleep, but not loud enough for me to hear what he was saying. His arms stayed wrapped protectively around me the whole time-not that I was complaining.

I slipped out of his arms slowly, trying not to wake him. I got up out of bed and tucked the covers more firmly around him and smoothed back his hair. I went downstairs and gulped down a cup of water, and then went onto the roof and sat there, staring at the stars.

How did Alek do this every night? It was freezing, and would be pretty boring if you didn't like looking up at the sky as much as I did. And I don't classify Alek as a star-gazer kind of guy.

I just laid there on my back thinking about..everything. I thought about how my mom was just starting to come back to me – I wonder if she would close herself off to the world again. About how Amy and Paul are starting to become my friends again. About how Brian knew about the Mai, and how he was apart of the Order. About how my _dad_ was apart of the Order, and he killed himself. About how Alek was always there for me, and I loved him.

Suddenly, something tackled me. I let out a sharp shriek. We wrestled on the roof for a while, and I managed to kick them off. They lunged for my neck, but I ducked and moved out of the way. They grabbed my hair and pulled me towards them, and they tied a gag around my mouth. I tried to breathe in to scream for help, but there were knock-out drugs on the rag. My world got fuzzy and I couldn't think straight. Then, everything turned black, and I felt myself being hauled off of the roof.

The last thing I heard was Alek screaming my name.

**So whad'ja think? :D Good? Bad..? **

**And the song was When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne. I dunno. I just really like it when people sing. Ahahah. I sing a lot in real life, so maybe that's why. So, yea! Review, please! It would make my day.[':**


	9. Safe and Sound

**mysterygirl97: Awwh I'm sorry.]: It's just that if I just came from my dad's funeral, I wouldn't be in a very..romantic mood, ya know? XD But I'm sorry there wasn't enough romance for you. Thanks for letting me know! **

**ScissorLuv21: I smirk right back atcha. But I can't really smirk so it kinda just looks like my mouth is twitching dementedly.]: My friend said he would teach me, but it's not working. LOL OHK. Thank you for reviewing!**

**TwilightFreak28: You're amazing! Thank you![: **

**Catlover10808: You're very very sweet! Thank you!**

**I no got a name I not real: :D Thank you so much! **

**panaricanchick: Alek was so tired he just slept right through it.]: Poor Chloe. **

**Soccerstar1018: Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I love cliches...my friends are like, 'You. Are a freak. Don't you want something original?' and I was like, NO. I LOVE THIS. But once in a while it's nice to read something different.[; And don't punch a hole in the wall! I'm updating! Ahahah. You're adorable-thanks for reviewing!**

**Aya MI: Ohk, ohk, ohk. Phewf. Ohk. XD First of all: You are so amazingly amazing and I love you. Your review made me smile so big-and I know that I say that a lot but you know what? It's ohk. XD YOU LIKE. REALLY. I love you. And I heard about the movie! I'm so excited! :D Seriously-when it comes out I'ma jump up and down and scream and cry and break things like the fangirl I am. Thank you SO much for your review. I hope you like this chapter![: **

**I don't own anything.]:**

**APOV**

I heard loud thumps and a familiar groan. I ignored it and rolled over, having not slept soundly in weeks. They got louder and I continued to ignore them. But as reality and realization hit me, it was too late. I flew out of Chloe's window, sleep still fogging my eyes. I saw a flash of blonde curly hair being roughly stuffed inside a car.

_No! _

"Chloe!" I screamed, sprinting after her.

"Go, go, go!" I heard a man shout. The door slammed closed, and the tires screeched against the pavement. And just like that-the girl I was really starting to fall in love with vanished down the street.

"Jasmine!" I burst through my apartment door, breathing heavily. "_Jasmine!" _I screamed again, ripping my jacket off.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she appeared from her room. She looked into my eyes and instantly knew something was wrong. I swallowed thickly and just looked at her, shaking my head.

She seemed to understand.

"What happened. Alek, where is Chloe?" She came closer, her voice desperate. She didn't want to believe it either.

"They took her." I managed to get out.

"Damn it!" She shrieked, whipping out her phone to call Valentina. "Call for back-up, and get the weapons ready. Try to remember the license plate number and pull out the list of possible Order locations." Her inner Pride leader came out. I hurried myself on my tasks, needing the most distraction I could get.

But the only thing I could think was, "This is all my fault."

**CPOV**

I woke up in a dark room, on the ground. It was freezing, and the metal chains around my wrists and ankles weren't helping. My body shook violently from the cold, and I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest for even the slightest chance of possible body heat. My head was pounding, my body ached, and there was a large bloody gash on my leg. My throat was raw and my nose was running, a sign that I was getting sick.

Well, this was fun.

Not. To sum it all up, I was pretty miserable. The door creaked open loudly, and the sudden light surprised me. It was gone as soon as the door slammed shut.

"Well guess who finally woke up from their cat nap." a man sneered at me, walking over and pulling me up by my hair. I stayed silent, glaring, trying not to show how much pain I was in.

"My name is Tony. I guess since I'm going to be taking most of your lives, we should get to know each other. The boss wants to take your last life himself, of course." He flung me back down to the ground and stepped on my leg, twisting it with his feet. My leg snapped.

My strong facade cracked-I screamed in agony, tears squeezing out of my eyes.

"Awwh, kitty isn't so strong now, is she?" he grunted, kicking my side. My vision got foggy, and my breathing became even more labored. He delivered more and more blows to my body, and I just wanted it to be over.

I mean, I was a cutter. I like small pain, not... _this._ I always scoffed at the people in stories or movies who said, "I just want my pain to be over."

I always thought that you could pull through the pain, everything good in life shining through and willing you to survive. But I realize now that sometimes you're too weak-sometimes you just have to give up.

The last thought I had before he delivered the fatal blow to my head was, "Where was Alek? He promised me he would protect me, but I'm going to die again."

**APOV**

Valentina rushed home from her meeting immediately, bringing thirteen Mai hunters with her. Jasmine and I managed to get seven, so we had twenty in all. I couldn't remember the license plate number-I was too angry and upset to think straight at the time. I still am. And I will be until we get Chloe _back._

Images of her lying crumpled on the floor, covered in blood made their way into my head, and I did the thing I always did when I was extremely upset-I punched something. It wasn't an ancient artifact, or anything. Just a wall.

I just didn't like the way Chloe made me _feel._ Emotions that I have never felt before crashed through my body so strongly I was shaking. I felt..._afraid. _I felt like I did when I was little and my parents abandoned me. I felt afraid and lonely and terrifyingly angry.

"Alek, you need to calm down. We are going to get her back, safe and sound." Jasmine reassured me, changed from her pajamas to a tank top, jeans, and combat boots. But she didn't fool me. Five minutes ago I saw her wipe tears from her cheeks with shaking hands.

"She's right. If you lose your head when we're in, it could cost Chloe even more lives. Stay. Focused." Valentina said, slipping a gun into a pocket in her leather jacket. Jasmine and I weren't trusted with guns yet, so all we had to our advantage were our claws and our pure love for Chloe.

One of the Mai hunters had actually placed a tiny tracker in Chloe's hair while she was sleeping while they were on protector duty. Normally I would be slightly weirded out, but now I was just straight-out grateful. It was the kind that you attached to a single strand of hair, it was that small. It was unnoticeable and couldn't be washed out. She was about twenty five miles away, in a warehouse.

"Let's get going."

Jasmine and I were riding our motorcycles, and everyone else crammed into four cars. We swerved through traffic and ran red lights, desperate to get to Chloe before she lost her last life.

We got there in about thirty five minutes, and I ripped my helmet off, tossing it on my motorcycle, which was thrown to the side.

"Ready?" I asked, impatient.

"Let's go." They nodded. We slipped in quietly through a window, landing stealthily on our feet. It was freezing in here, and there were many doors. The man holding the tracking device led us through a maze of tall crates, which held apparently dangerous stuff, since there were giant red skulls painted onto them. It's been fifteen minutes of walking, and I snapped.

"Well? Where is she?" I exclaimed.

"In this room, actually." He pointed to door half-hidden behind a crate. And, right on time, I heard her familiar scream of pain. We looked at each other, and abandoned all hopes of being quiet any longer. Jasmine kicked the door down, and that was when I saw Chloe take yet another last breath.

**Hi! I actually wrote a new 9LOCK fanfiction, called I'm Only Me When I'm With You. I would really love it if you checked it out! It's where Chloe and Alek are the best of friends, and Brian comes to town. He gets in the way of their friendship, but might make them realize that they're something a little more than friends?**

**So yea. I would really appreciate it if you checked that out. There are two chapters out already. Thank you so much![: Please review! **


	10. Break Free From the Chains

_Closing yourself off from the rest of the world_

_Locking yourself in your mind_

_The memories haunt you_

_They linger behind your footsteps_

_Stalking you_

_The past is tapping you on the shoulders_

_But don't look back._

_The night that everything changed_

_The moment when your shaking hand picked up the blade_

_And crimson dripped to the floor_

_The night when you decided that home-_

_Your safe place_

_The place where you're loved most-_

_Wasn't home anymore._

_The night when you realized_

_That you were alone._

**Alek's POV**

"_Chloe!" _I roared. I lunged inside the room and attacked the man who had taken yet another one of my love's precious lives. Her heart had already stopped, and there was nothing I could do about it.

I took the man's neck and quickly snapped it, throwing his body aside. My eyes were in slits and I was so angry and sad that I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. More people from the Order rushed in, and everybody else started attacking.

Everyone was angry. They couldn't help it – even people who haven't met the Uniter already loved her. Everyone had a fierce protectiveness over her.

I sprinted over to Chloe and took her limp, bloody figure into my arms. Her golden curls were matted down with blood, and she was cold. It scared me, to be honest.

I was so scared that they might have gotten it wrong – that she might have died multiple deaths while she was a child in Ukraine and that was her last life, and she wasn't going to come back. It was always my worst nightmare that I've never spoken of.

"Chloe, please wake up." I whispered, placing my palm on her cheek.

"Alek! Get her out of here!" Valentina shouted. My head snapped up and I quickly stood, following orders not from my aunt, but from the pride leader. I tried to make my way out of the room without anyone noticing, but a teenage boy carrying their prisoner in his arms wasn't exactly inconspicuous.

A large, ugly man with an odd body odor came over and crashed into me, which made me stumble. I made sure not to drop Chloe, and I set her down behind me. I quickly roundhouse kicked the man's jaw which made him fall back. He got back up and tried to slam my into a wall, but he was large and although he may be stronger than me, I was faster. I quickly ducked under his arm and used both my arms to push _him_ into the wall. He slumped down to the floor, unconscious.

I tried to pick Chloe back up and make a run for it, but by now everyone had noticed that I was trying to get Chloe out. They surrounded her, making a wall that we would have to fight through.

I suddenly heard her gasp and come back to life, her heartbeat loud and a little too fast. She gave out a little cough and a whimper.

"Chloe!" I called, fighting back-to-back with Jasmine.

"Alek?" Some man surrounding her nudged her with his foot roughly and told her to be quiet.

**Jasmine's POV**

I was fighting back-to-back with Alek, and I heard Chloe come back to life. I breathed a sigh of relief. She was okay again. Extremely weak and injured, but okay.

Suddenly, I heard Alek cry out, and I whirled around to see him slump down, unconscious.

"Alek!" I shouted, trying to chase after the man who had slung him over his shoulder and was taking him away. By now most of the Mai hunters were unconscious, injured, or caught up in their own fight.

But the man I was fighting grabbed my wrist and tried to punch me in the face. I quickly caught his fist and flipped him over my shoulder. While he was on the ground, he grabbed my leg and made me fall, too.

Another man took Chloe, who was still too weak to fight back, out the door alongside with Alek.

"Stop! Chloe!" I screamed, trying to get to them. Chloe looked up and we made eye contact before the door swung shut.

The man I had been fighting had taken out a knife and scraped it against my leg. I quickly pressed a pressure point in his neck, which caused him to go unconscious.

"Jasmine. We have to get out of here, now." Mom ordered, waiting with all of the Mai hunters by her side. Some of them had unconscious ones slung over their shoulders.

"Alek and Chloe – they're..." I looked back to the door that they had gone through.

"We _will _get them. But right now we don't have enough people, and half of our Mai hunters are severely wounded. We have to go back." And with that, I was forced to turn my back on my best friend and the only person who was family to me.

**Alek's POV**

I woke up in a clammy, cold room that smelled like blood and sweat. My hands were chained behind my back, connecting to the wall behind me.

Of course.

I heard a faint heartbeat beside me, and I ignored it. I just wanted to go back to sleep. Then I heard a small sniffle and a shaky breath. Wait.

"Chloe?" I whispered, opening my eyes.

It was silent for a minute. "Alek!" Chloe screamed. "Oh my god. I thought that you were never going to wake up." Her hands were chained behind her, too. But they were long enough for her to crawl into my lap and nuzzle her face into my neck.

I so badly wanted to rip these chains off and hug her, but instead I opted for laying my cheek down on her head.

"Are you okay?" She looked up at me.

"Says the girl who just lost a life." I threw back. She flinched.

"I swear, Chloe. When you were gone, I thought I was going to..." I sighed, crinkling my eyebrows. Her immediate reaction was to raise her hand to my cheek, but her chains held her back.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, love."

"But it is." Chloe cried miserably, hiding her face from me, burying it into my neck. I could feel her wet eyelashes brush against my skin as she blinked rapidly. She kept saying, 'I'm sorry' over and over again.

I needed to hold her. I needed to cup her face in my hands and wipe away her tears. I was just sitting there, doing nothing.

I felt completely useless, and I didn't like it. I pulled at the chains as hard as I could, the cold metal gnawing into my wrists painfully. But I didn't care. I kept pulling and pulling and I could feel it becoming loose. Chloe lifted her tear-stained face to see what I was doing, and she looked at the wall behind me excitedly.

"You've almost got it!" She said. I relaxed and allowed myself to rest for a while, my head hanging down, my dirty blonde hair falling in my face.

Chloe had climbed off my lap the moment she realized what I was doing, and it felt odd. Her warmth was replaced with a cold chill, and I immediately wanted her back.

I looked up at her, and she was trying to undo her chains, too. But she was still too weak and wasn't succeeding. So she sat there and pouted. I chuckled.

I started pulling again, raising myself up onto my knees. I tried to ignore the sharp, cutting pain I felt in my wrists and tried to picture everything I could do when I got out of these damn chains. I could get Chloe's off, I could hold her, I could wipe away her tears, we could escape. I gave one last sharp yank, and the chains broke out of the wall.

"Yes!" I whisper-shouted, not wanting any Order members to hear. I quickly dragged myself to this sharp rock sticking out of the ground and broke the cuffs off my wrist, which were extremely bruised and raw now.

I quickly whirled around and scooped Chloe up, kissing her. She smiled into the kiss, and I ran my hands through her curls, which were somehow still soft and bouncy. I wiped the recent tears off her cheeks and cupped her face.

"I love you." I smiled, leaning my forehead on hers.

"I know." She teased, scrunching her nose. I laughed and pecked her again, and moved behind her to undo her chains. It was a lot easier to yank them out since they weren't cutting into my lips, but I made sure to hold the chain so I didn't hurt Chloe's wrists. I cracked open her cuffs and she threw her arms around my neck.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and we stood there, holding each other.

"I missed you." She said.

"I know." I mocked her. She whacked my arm, laughing.

"Come on, let's find a way to get out of here." I let go of her and we looked around, but there was no way out except for the door. Which led into the main part of the warehouse.

Chloe and I shared a look.

Bloody hell.

**If any of you guys also read Gallagher Girls fanfictions and read my Abuse story, then you would recognize the poem in the beginning of this chapter. Yes, I wrote it myself, and yes, I know it's depressing. I'm sorry. :/ **

**But I recently found out that my friend's father has been abusing her since she was little, and she never told me. I'm the only one she's ever told, and I'm trying to get her to tell the police. She always wears jeans and long sleeves and I've seen her bruises. **

**It's selfish of me, because a part of me wants her to keep her secret so she won't get taken to foster care, and she can stay here with me. But I know that we're going to have to tell someone sooner or later, and she'll probably have to leave. **

**So this is probably the most horrible moment in my life right now so I might not update very often. Sorry, guys. :/ **

**mbj2323: Awh thank you so much for reading it![: I'm going to update on that soon – probably after I publish this story! **

**Anon: Thank you so much! **

**Catlover10808: Don't we all?[; **

**TwilightFreak28: Thank you! **

**mysterygirl97: Ahah they got there! Unfortunately, Alek and Chloe aren't actually out of danger yet. ]:**

**gator19: Thanks so much! **

**ashley: Thanks for reviewing![': **

**anonymous: Thank you! **

**Sam: Yea, she's going to find things about her dad REALLY soon.[; I hated how they ended the series...I was so angry I wanted to stab something. ...Just kidding. I can barely punch my straw through my juice boxes. Anyways...thanks for reviewing! XD **

**Sira-The-Awesome: You are amazing. Thank you so much.[: Your review had my smiling the whole day. Seriously. Thank you! **

**Sam: Are you the same Sam as up there^^? If you are, then thanks for reviewing twice, ahha! If you aren't, then...ohk. XD SO MANY QUESTIONS, ahahah! They will all be answered in time.[; Thanks for reviewing! **


	11. Out Of My Control

_"Come on, let's find a way to get out of here." I let go of her and we looked around, but there was no way out except for the door. Which led into the main part of the warehouse._

_Chloe and I shared a look._

_Bloody hell._

**Chloe's POV**

Alek and I exchanged glances.

"Well, the longer we wait, the longer we'll be in here. Let's just get this over with." Alek sighed, running a hand roughly through his dirty hair.

I nodded. "Let's go." I reached out and quietly opened the door, peeking my head through. I felt Alek grip my other hand. I opened the door all the way, seeing nobody in the hallway, and we stepped out.

The fresh air ran down my throat and I gulped it in, relieved not to have to breathe the stale air in my cell anymore. My cuts and bruises were taking a while to heal, so some of them were still bleeding and sore. It was weird. Mai were supposed to be fast healers, right? I shrugged it off.

Alek seems to be in good condition – just some scrapes on his wrists where he broke free from his chains, and some bruises here and there. We snuck quietly through the warehouse, but it seemed...empty?

"Is it just me, or is this a little too easy?" Alek muttered.

"I was just thinking the same thing..." I whispered back. We were hiding behind a large crate filled with heavy glass objects, but it was pointless.

There was nobody here. Or there was, and they're not trying to stop us.

"What are they doing? They have the Uniter and her protector...why are they letting us go?" Alek exclaimed, standing up. I stayed crouched on the floor.

"Something isn't right. I think...I don't think we should go through those doors. What if they're trapped or something?"

"Well, what else are we gonna do, Chlo? Sit here all day until an Order member comes back?"

I bit my lip, looking up at him.

"I-I guess not."

"Well, let's get this over with." He helped me up, and slid an arm around my waist. We walked carefully to the door, and hesitated. I could see the bright light bursting through the windows, and I yearned to feel the warmth on my skin.

Alek stepped forward and pushed the door open a crack, hesitating.

No blaring alarms, no flashing lights, no net to come down and grab us.

Absolutely nothing.

"What is going _on?_" Alek muttered. We walked outside.

It was that easy.

It was just that easy.

"What, did all of the Order members decide to go on vacation at the same time or something?" I looked back, and there was no one chasing us down, there was silence. There was nothing.

And for some reason, I was more scared than I would've been if an Order member was chasing me down with a gun.

Alek and I quickly climbed up onto the rooftops and made our way back to the penthouse. Alek waved to his doorman, and he let him in. We walked into their apartment, and Jasmine and Valentina looked up, jumping.

"_Chloe! Alek? _How did you get out? Are you alright? Did you lose another? How did you...?" Valentine frantically ushered us down on her clean couch, getting out her first aid kit. She got a wash cloth and cleaned our faces first, smoothing back our hair lovingly. I scrunched up my face and crinkled my nose when she wiped my face, trying not to get the warm drops of water coming out of the towel into my eyes. Alek chuckled and kissed my cheek.

"So how did you guys get out?" Jasmine sat down next to me on the couch.

Alek and I looked at each other.

"It was like...it was like they were _letting_ us go. We just walked out. Literally." Alek said.

Valentine blinked, her hand frozen. The washcloth rested upon my cheek.

"They just...they just let you go? Nobody was there at all?" She questioned.

"Nope. Nobody." I shrugged. "It was really creepy, actually."

"Something's not right...for them to have let you go...that means they have a plan to get you back, probably to a place where we can't find you again." Jasmine's forehead crinkled with worry. I shrugged, biting my lip. Valentina started to wipe down Alek's dirty face.

I felt like a small child, and while I was playing outside I scraped my knee, and my mother was washing it and putting a band aid on it for me. It felt nice. I felt safe. I looked down, running my fingers over my scars. Alek saw me and grabbed my hand, making my look up.

His eyes were dark, sending me a _Don't even think about it._

I sent him a look, saying _I wasn't! _

He nodded and let go. Valentina cleaned our cuts and put a weird cream on our bruises, which instantly soothed them. But because of the cream, we couldn't shower. So I stuck my head under the faucet and washed out my hair, the warm water running through my curls soothing me. I washed out the dried blood and dirt, and then pulled it back in a messy braid. I changed into one of Alek's huge t-shirts, which fell down to about my knees. I also borrowed a pair of Jasmine's shorts, which weren't even visible under his T-shirt.

Then, I realized something.

"Oh, god, my mom. MY MOM. She's probably freaking out, dear lord, I need to call her." I whirled around, looking for my cell phone, which, of course, was at home.

"Chloe, calm down," Valentina chuckled. "You're staying at my place, because she's on another business trip. She didn't want you to stay home alone."

"She's made me stay home alone plenty of other times before." I muttered. "Has she called?"

"No, I got an email saying that her phone didn't work where she was, and you had to pay to use the phone in the hotel room, so she would see you when she got home. She's coming home in three days."

"Oh, thank god. Thank you." I collapsed on the couch, fiddling with my braid.

"It's time to sleep. You can have the guest bedroom, Chloe," Valentine told me. I nodded.

**Three Hours Later~~**

I couldn't sleep. I laid in bed, eyes wide open, not a single yawn escaping. Everyone else was sleeping – I could tell by their heartbeats. I glanced at the clock.

2:00 A.M.

I sighed loudly and rolled over. Wonderful. I got up and quietly made my way to Alek's room. I hung on to his door frame and peeked my head in.

**Alek's POV**

You know that dream state you're in when you're half-asleep, half-awake? Where you can hear noises of what's happening on the real world, but you don't really process it? Where a noise that's out of place can wake you easily?

That's where I was. Until I heard soft, padded footsteps making their way across the apartment. My eyes opened to see Chloe peeking her head in, her face innocent and fragile. She was clutching onto my door frame, so she wouldn't trip over something in the dark.

"Alek?" She whispered. It was loud in the dead silent of the apartment.

"What's wrong?" I sat up and motioned her over. She quickly bounded up to my bed and crawled in, curling up into a ball next to me. I brushed a stray curl out of her face and hugged her cold body to mine.

"I can't sleep." She said.

We stayed silent for a minute, listening to each other breathe, while I smoothed her hair over and over again.

"Why do you think they let us go so easily? It's scaring me." Chloe gnawed on her lip. She had a tendency to do that when she was nervous.

"I don't know, love. But whatever it is, we'll do everything in our power to protect you. When they come, someone will always be with you. I promise." The thought of Chloe losing another life enraged me, and my fists clenched.

Suddenly, Chloe's heart beat sped up frantically. I immediately sat up, staring down at her.

"Chloe? What's wrong?" My eyes scanned my room, looking for a threat.

"Alek! Alek...my back..." She was sweating now, and she had sat up and clutched my arm in alarm. "It...oh my god, Alek!" She shrieked. I heard Valentine and Jasmine wake up, and lights turned on. I quickly supported her so she would get off her shirt, and lifted it.

There was nothing wrong with her back.

At least nothing I could see.

"It hurts," Chloe choked out, tears streaming down her face. I slowly touched it.

"Where does it hurt?"

She was trembling, nails digging into my skin. I didn't care.

"To the left, lower back," She panted. She shrieked again.

"What is going on?" Valentina turned on my room light.

I didn't answer her, letting her figure it out for herself. I slowly touched the left side of her lower back, and felt a small bump. The moment I touched it, Chloe yelped and jumped away from me. Her fists were clenched so hard that her knuckles turned white, and her skin was pale and clammy. She curled up into a ball on the floor.

"Chloe...I'm going to have to pick you up, okay? You're going to have to uncurl yourself, love, so Valentine can see what's wrong." I said.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" She muttered.

"I know, Chlo. It'll stop soon." I picked her up and she thrashed in my arms, screaming.

"What is _wrong _with her?" I shouted, looking at Valentina. Jasmine was staring with wide eyes.

"Just set her down on the table!" Valentine shouted, running to get supplies from her office. I set her down on her side, and she curled up again. I wiped the sticky hair off her face and held her hand.

When I promised her nothing would hurt her – when I promised her the Order wouldn't get her, I didn't realize that they already have.

And it was something that was completely out of my control.

**Thank you all so, so much for your reviews! Sadly, it's kind of late, so I don't have time to reply to your wonderful reviews. I hope you liked this chapter![: **


	12. Outside The Window

_When I promised her nothing would hurt her – when I promised her the Order wouldn't get her, I didn't realize that they already have._

_And it was something that was completely out of my control._

**Alek's POV**

Fear.

Nothing is stronger than fear. And right now, it coursed through my veins like blood. It made my heart leap to my throat and made my breathing shallow.

Fear for the Uniter.

Fear for our savior.

Fear for my love.

Fear for my Chloe.

In a normal situation, like a knife cut or something, it wouldn't be as horrible. We knew what we had to do to keep her alive – stop the blood flow, disinfect it, patch it up.

But here?

We had no idea what in the bloody hell was happening. Valentina was on the phone with other Pride leaders, the phone clenched between her cheek and shoulder as she typed furiously on her computer. Jasmine and I were still trying to get Chloe to calm down.

We had tried everything – played Chloe's favorite songs, put ice on that spot in her back, put a hot pack on that spot in her back, I even kissed her.

But she just did the same thing she's been doing for the past 45 minutes – thrashing and screaming bloody murder.

"Chloe, _please!_" Jasmine cried, holding Chloe down so she wouldn't flop to the floor. The thought would've been quite amusing if the situation we were in wasn't so serious. I glanced at the door – I wonder if any of the neighbors could hear us, and were wondering what was up. If Chloe kept this up for much longer, someone might call the cops.

She was trying to stop, I could tell she was. Chloe's nose was pinched up and she was biting her lip, but the cries kept coming out. Tears were flowing steadily down her cheek in wet streams, and I had quit trying long ago to try and wipe them all from her eyes.

"I don't think pinning her to the table is working," I said. Jasmine nodded in agreement, sitting back onto the couch, panting. I let go of Chloe's legs and scooped her up, sitting down with her on the couch, too. I accidentally touched that part on her back, though, and she gave an extra-loud cry into my ear.

"Ow," I muttered. "I'm sorry, darling."

I sat down, one of my arms still under her legs, and other near her shoulder blades, stroking her curls. She curled up in my lap and clung to my neck, and I could feel sticky tears staining my shirt. We sat like that for about ten minutes, and I gradually felt Chloe's death grip on me loosen.

"I-I think," she swallowed thickly and took a shaky breath. "I think the worst of it is over."

Her voice was so weak that if she wasn't directly underneath my ear, I wouldn't have heard her, even with my Mai hearing.

"Are you sure?" I asked her, looking down. She came out from my chest and nodded, closing her eyes. Then she nuzzled right back into my again, and her cold skin burned my hot neck.

Valentina came back in the room and sat on the couch across from us. We sat there, all four of us breathing heavily.

After all of Chloe's screaming, Valentina's typing, and Jasmine and my pleading, the apartment seemed too quiet now, and the silence was making my ears ring.

"What...what the hell just _happened_?" Jasmine exclaimed, breaking it. We blinked and looked at Chloe, then back up to each other. Shocked expressions played on our faces, our eyebrows crinkled.

Chloe wasn't sleeping – I could feel her long lashes batting against my neck. But for some reason she wasn't talking, wasn't explaining. I think she was still trying to process what happened herself. It was just so sudden that none of us had any clue what in the bloody hell was going on.

"Chloe? Do you...do you have any idea what just happened?" Valentina asked, hesitant. I looked down at her, trying to get her reaction. But her face was still buried in my neck, and all I could see were her wild blonde curls framing her face. I got momentarily distracted by the flowery scent of her hair, and had an extremely strong urge to press my face against it and just inhale her scent.

I opted for kissing the top of her head instead, urging her to talk.

"I...well, obviously the Order did this. And they probably put the...thing causing the pain in my body when they took me, and that's why they let Alek and I go so easily. But...it was unlike any pain I've ever felt. Worse than breaking a bone. Worse than getting stabbed. In a way, it was worse than...it was worse than _dying_." her voice cracked, and she clung to me tighter. I patted her back soothingly.

"Because when I'm dying, at least I'll be put out of my misery quickly." she said drily. I tensed at the thought of her dying again, fury filling my body.

The Order had no right to take lives away from someone they didn't even know – Chloe was totally and completely _innocent. _She has done nothing in her lifetime that would even remotely make her a criminal, yet they were killing her just because of a damn title that she held.

_Uniter._

Sometimes the word made me sick.

"Do you think this is going to become a regular thing?" Jasmine asked, frowning.

"Most likely. If that was the reason they let Chloe and Alek go so easily, then they must have control over when she gets the...the pains. This was probably a test one, to see if it works." Valentina said.

I stiffened.

"Aunt Valentina...if this was a test run, and they wanted to see if it works...how would they see?" I suddenly sat up straighter and clutched Chloe tighter, realizing we were in danger. "They must be near."

Valentina and Jasmine's eyes grew wider as they realized I was right. All three of us jumped up at the same time, Chloe in my arms. She was cold and clammy, and could barely keep her eyes open, let alone defend herself.

This was their plan all along, wasn't it? To weaken Chloe so she couldn't fight back, which would make it easier to kill her.

But they forgot one thing.

Chloe had a damn good protector.

And I would do anything and everything in my power to make sure she doesn't lose another life anytime soon. Jasmine went to lock all of the windows and doors, drawing the curtains tight. Valentina went and checked every room to see if it was clear, and to make sure no Order members were hiding inside the apartment. I carried Chloe to my room and laid her down on my bed, and looked everywhere to see if someone was in there. I checked in the bathroom, under the bed, on the balcony, behind cabinets, even in drawers. There was no one. She was safe in here.

I locked the windows in my room and drew the curtain shut. But not before looking out, checking to see for any human forms outside, peering in. I saw nothing, just some flickering street lights, and the distant green and red of the traffic lights.

"All clear?" I stuck my head out the doorway.

"Clear." Jasmine called from her room.

"Clear." Valentina shouted from her office.

"They were probably right outside our windows, dangling on the balconies, listening to our conversation, and dropped down when you realized they were there, Alek." Valentina said.

I nodded.

"I don't think they were planning to attack tonight. But once they know that their little pain device works, they'll probably use it, and soon. We have to figure out a way to remove the...thing from her body. But until we do, we'll put up extra protection. I'll call for double the guards around her house, and extra patrol on her way to and from work and school. Alek, you'll mostly be the close-distance guard, the one by her side, and Jasmine, you'll be the far-distance guard, the one skimming rooftops."

We nodded once, understanding.

"Get some rest," Valentina said finally. "I have to make a few calls."

She left, and Jasmine and I looked at each other, frowning.

"This has brought down our odds a lot," she sighed.

I nodded. "Now we have another side on our plate. We have to figure out _what_ is causing the pain, _how_ it's doing it, and then how to remove it. We have to figure out if Chloe's father really did kill himself, or if someone killed him and why. We need to figure out why her father had a tattoo of an Order mark on his wrist. We need to figure out how to bring down the Order once and for all. We need to figure out how Chloe is going to 'unite' the races. We need to figure out how to help Chloe with her cutting problem. We need -"

"Alek! That really is not helping," Jasmine interrupted, turning a bit pale at the thought of all that stress.

"I mean," I continued. "Why can't we just be normal teenagers? You know...worry about grades, and rubbish like that."

Jasmine smiled sadly and shook her head. "Everything would be different. You and Chloe probably wouldn't even be dating."

I thought about it for a moment. About how she preferred to hang out with Crazy Amy and Comic Book Nerd Paul. Though she had the looks to be popular, she wasn't stuck-up and snooty to fit in with the popular girls at school.

And it was true. If Chloe never became Mai, I probably wouldn't even have had the guys to come up to her and talk to her, much less date her. Our cliques were so different and distant and we would never even cross paths.

So I nodded. "Good point. I take that back, then."

Jasmine breathed a deep, gusty sigh. "Let's get some rest, yea? I'll see you tomorrow, Alek. Try not to worry too much, or you'll pop something," she smiled.

I rolled my eyes. "You, too! You stress so much I'm surprised you don't have stomach ulcers."

She stuck her tongue out at me and retreated down the hall to her room. I went back to mine, shutting the door behind me. Chloe seemed dead to the world, her skin pale and dry now, and her breaths were shallow and uneven. She looked deep in sleep, so I turned off the lights and snuggled into bed with her, draping an arm around her waist and pressing her into my chest.

As long as she was here, with me, she was safe.

And that was all the reassurance I needed to fall back asleep.

**Hi guys![: **

**I know, I know. It's been long. Very, very long. Over a month of not updating, and I feel extremely guilty about it.]: **

**I went to New York last week, and I didn't have access to a computer the whole time. And once I came home, I had over 70 emails from Fanfiction, and they were all new chapters. And I kind of have this weird thing where I have to read every single email in my inbox until I do anything else, so yea. I dunno.**

**But I hope you guys liked this chapter! It was kind of a filler chapter, but I needed one until I started more of the action-y ones. The next one will be more intense, I promise! Review, please![: **

**VannaMa'Kayla: Ohh, you. You're the sweetest thing. ^_^ Unfortunately, unless you think thirty seconds is equivalent to about thirty days, I didn't make your wish come true. I'm sorry.]: But thank you for reviewing! **

**anon: Aaah! Ahaha I hope I explained it well in this chapter! Thanks for reviewing! **

**ScissorLuv21: AHAHA you're so nice! [: I love when people get freaked over my stories. I get all intense writing chapters. Like, I hunch over and I start typing really violently, and my face gets all scrunched up and I'm sure I look like a retard. My friend was over one day I was writing a chapter and she says my typing sounded like a rainstorm. Anyway...thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter. **

**Catlover10808: AHAHAHAH OH MY GOD. I love you. That made me laugh so hard. XD No, she is not growing a tail. Although that would be pretty cool. **

**Blackwidow97: Oww, that would hurt. :/ We're still not exactly sure what it is yet, unfortunately.[; Thanks for reviewing! **

**Listen to Relient k now: You're the sweetest! :'D Your review made my day. Thank you so much! **

**Chalek: Thank you! [: **

**gator19: Thanks for reviewing! And I hope you liked this chapter..[: **

**TwilightFreak28: Awh, thank you so much! **

**GRITS girls raised in the south: Thank you! :D **

**brucasforever1418: I miss the show, too!]: But thankfully, we have Fanfiction to feed our craving for Chalek. ^_^ Thank you so much for reviewing! **

**nn: Thank you for reviewing! [: **

**Sira-the-Awesome: AHAH ohh, you. Stop twitching! Unfortunately, I've left you twitching for quite a while now... :/ I'm sorry. You're the humble little genius here, ugh. =_= I promise I'll get better at updating.[: **sticks out pinky** Really, I will. Thank you so much for reviewingg! **

**TNLOCKLover1: Ahahaah I'm sorry! It's been a month! But I'll update more frequently now, really! Thanks for reviewing! **

**Erudessa-gabrielle: Awh, thank you so much![: I hope you liked this chapter. **


	13. Gravediggers

_Chloe seemed dead to the world, her skin pale and dry now, and her breaths were shallow and uneven. She looked deep in sleep, so I turned off the lights and snuggled into bed with her, draping an arm around her waist and pressing her into my chest._

_As long as she was here, with me, she was safe._

_And that was all the reassurance I needed to fall back asleep._

**Chloe's POV**

I woke up pressed to something extremely warm, and it was making me sweat. I tried to roll away but it was holding me in place. I breathed in through my nose and smiled.

Alek.

I opened my eyes and saw that I was so close to his face that I could see the little peach fuzz on his cheeks, and the tiny birthmark under his ear. My whole body ached, and my face was all sticky. Alek was still sleeping, crushing me to his chest, and I was curled up into a ball, my knees up to my stomach. I touched his cheek and his warm brown eyes fluttered open, and he groaned.

I laughed.

"Wakey-wakey," I said.

"No wakey-wakey. Sleepy-sleepy," he pouted, coming closer and burying his face into my neck.

"_Alright_. I'm just gonna go shower. _Then_ you have to wakey-wakey, you hear, you lazy Brit?" I teased.

He shook his head. "You sleepy-sleepy too?" he whispered, already drifting out of consciousness. I laughed at his childishness. I kissed the top of his head and slid out of his arms, making my way over to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror and groaned. There were deep bags under my eyes, my skin was pale and dry, my lips chapped, my hair a rat's nest, and there were scrapes and bruises all around my body.

I got in the shower and shampooed my hair twice, and conditioning it three times to get the curly tangles out. I used Jasmine's flower scented body wash and stood there in the perfume-y air, hot water calming my sore muscles, in complete bliss. I sighed in relief, but I guess I stayed in there a little too long. Pounding came from the door, and I jumped and knocked some bottles off of the shelf, making a loud clattering noise. The pounding became more prominent, agitated.

"Chloe, are you alright? You've been in there for two hours," Alek shouted. "And what was that noise? Did you slip and fall?"

"No, it was just some shampoo bottles! I'll be right out," I shouted back, turning off the water and placing the bottles back. "Sorry."

"It's alright, love. Just come out when you're ready. Valentina and Jasmine had to go off to a meeting concerning your...er, back problem, and they don't know when they'll be back. So I'm going to go make breakfast and...yea, I'm rambling. I'll go now," he muttered.

I laughed. He was so cute sometimes. I stepped out of the shower and into a warm fluffy towel, which was probably Alek's because it smelled a lot like him and his body soap. My cheeks flushed at the thought of Alek stepping into the same black towel after he was done showering, too, and I quickly dried myself off with it and wrapped it around my head.

I wiped all of the moisture fogging up the mirror, the mist floating around in the bathroom kind of creeping me out.

Crap. I didn't bring clothes.

_Why did this always happen whenever Jasmine was gone? _

I unwound the towel from my head and felt my damp hair slap onto my bare back. I wrapped the towel around my body and peeked around the door. Alek was making blueberry waffles and orange juice, and right now he was squeezing half an orange into a cup, very concentrated.

I tip-toed out of the bathroom, hoping he wouldn't see me. He never looked up. So I gave up on the quietly-walking thing and made a mad dash towards Jasmine's room, when something suddenly grabbed me around the waist, nearly making me drop the towel.

"_Caught you," _he whispered in my ear.

My face went beet red from embarrassment. "Alek!" I was clutching the towel around my body, desperately looking for a way out.  
>"Yes, love?"<p>

"Would you let go of me? I'm...I was going somewhere."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? And wherever were you going, Chloe?"

"To Jasmine's room."

The damn bastard was stalling. I saw his eyes look me up and down, and I blushed even harder.

"Jasmine's gone, I told you," he smirked.

"I didn't go to see Jasmine," I muttered. He was still holding me to him, and his shirt got all wet from my hair.

He pulled back and suddenly kissed me, and I couldn't help but kiss back. I licked his bottom lip, asking for entrance. He groaned and opened his mouth for me, but I giggled and quickly sprinted to Jasmine's room, slamming it shut.

"You, Chloe King, are a _tease_!" he shouted at me.

"That's what you get!" I laughed.

I grabbed a pair of mint green skinny jeans, a long white lacey shirt, a cream cardigan with wooden buttons, and gold strappy sandals. Jasmine wouldn't mind me borrowing. I combed out my hair and let it fall into its natural curls, and did my make-up.

Jasmine's room was so neat and organized, it kind of scared me. I went over to her purple and black bed and sat down on it, rubbing her soft blankets. One of the shorter curls that always got in my face was already kinking up into a soft curl, and I blew it away impatiently.

My lips were still extremely chapped – Alek must have felt like her was kissing a crocodile. Jasmine must have Chapstick somewhere in her drawers, right? So I leaned over and opened one of her bed-side drawers. In it was a notebook, a bunch of pencils, mascara, hair-ties, a pair of nun-chucks, a book about the Mai, and lots of scraps of paper.

I opened the bottom one, and found candles, a flashlight, a picture album, perfume, nail polish, more paper, and a Swiss army knife.

No Chapstick. I stared at the knife and wondered why Jasmine had it. Probably for self-defense against Order members. I picked it up, the cold metal leeching warmth from my fingers. I popped it open and jumped to see a bunch of little knives and odd pointy things pop out.

I wasn't going to cut, I swear it. I was just curious, is all, since I've never actually touched a Swiss army knife before, and Alek was still making breakfast. And, okay, something in the back of my mind was telling me to, just to relieve some of the stress, and my fingers shook. I positioned the knife in my hands, but stopped. No. I promised Alek that I wouldn't. I ran my finger along the edge of one of the blades, until the door swinging open stopped me.

I jumped guiltily and put the knife down, eyes wide. Alek was standing in the doorway, frozen. Hurt and shock played in his eyes, and I bit my lip. He looked from the knife, which was sitting next to my thigh, to my wrists, and back to the knife again.

I held up my wrists to show him that they weren't bleeding, but he couldn't even look at me in the eye. He was looking down, clutching the doorknob so tightly that the door was being pulled down a bit.

"Chloe..." he choked out.

"I wasn't going to, I swear! I was just curious, is all. I was looking for Chapstick and I...I wasn't going to, Alek, I promise you." I spat out words, barely knowing what I was saying. Guilt and fear pinched at my stomach, and my hands were still shaking.

He just shook his head, clearly not believing me. He walked over and pressed the button to pull the blades back in, and threw it into the garbage bin. I landed with a violent _thump_, and I winced. He was staring at me disbelievingly, and he looked so betrayed.

For some reason, tears were filling my eyes, and that damn piece of hair was in front of my face again. I yanked it out of the way, enjoying the pain it caused on my scalp as I pulled it too forcefully.

"Believe me, Alek, I wasn't going to," I whispered, placing my sweaty hands in my lap and looking down at them.

"I mean, a part of me thought about it, but I would never..." I took a shaky breath. "I would never do that to you. I mean, I promised you, and I really am trying to stop, but it's just so hard and I think about it a lot, and there's so much going on, with my dad and this pain in my back and my mom and...and...and I feel like I'm talking too much and why aren't you saying anything? I'm sorry!"

I was sobbing now, and I brought my face down to my hands and pulled my knees up to my chest. I sat like that, curled up in a ball, for a few minutes, and I could tell he still hasn't moved. He took a deep breath, and I heard it shake.

I looked up and saw a tear streak down his cheek. That made me cry even harder. He sat down next to me and I crawled into his lap like a child.

"You scared the living crap out of me, Chloe," Alek breathed. "I thought you were...oh my god."

He forcefully ran his hand through his hair and brought his hands up to my face, wiping my tears away. They slowed down, and I sniffled.

In turn, I kissed the few tears he had away, mumbling 'sorry's against his flushed skin. I ran my fingers soothingly through his blonde hair, and then wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him.

"I swear, though, Alek. I'm trying to stop. I'm really trying. It's just hard sometimes, and I needed to...I don't know," I whispered.

He shook his head. "It's okay. I understand, love."

"Are you still crying?" I asked.

"No," he said.

"Good," I said back.

"Are you?" he asked.

"No," I answered.

He pulled away and smiled at me. "Good."

He kissed me and then rolled over to the other side of the bed, opening the drawer there. He pulled out a strawberry chapstick and handed it to me.

"I believe this is what you were looking for, my queen?"

Amusement flickered behind his golden-brown eyes, and I played along.

"Why, my good sir, it is exactly what I was looking for! However did you find it?"

"I have a good nose," he smirked. I applied some on my lips and put it back in the drawer. Suddenly, Alek's phone started ringing. It was listed as unknown, but I recognized the number. I stared at it in shock.

"Why is Amy calling you?"

He looked at the small cell phone screen, bewildered.

"...I have no idea. You answer," he tossed the phone to me.

"Hello? Amy?"

"Chloe? I was hoping you were with Alek..." her voice sounded less chirpy today, less happy.

"What's wrong?"

"I...well, my cell was dead, so I looked through the student directory for Alek's phone number. And...I was just calling to tell you some news."

"Good news?" I asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately not," Amy whispered.

"What is it?"

"It's...it's your dad, Chloe. The grave...his grave. They can't...his body's gone."

I let out a nervous giggle and glanced at Alek, who could of course hear everything due to his Mai hearing.

"What do you mean his body's gone? I mean...he was buried. They can't exactly...take it out," I said.

"No, I mean that someone literally dug up his grave and took his body out, and the only thing that's left is the coffin and a huge empty hole," Amy explained slowly.

My eyes widened and my breath quickened. "What? Why? Does my mom know?"

"Yea, she was the one that told me," Amy said. "She's coming home from her business trip early – she's on a plane right now. Paul, don't touch that!"

"I...I need to get to the cemetery. I'm going to the cemetery!" I announced. I flew out of Jasmine's room and heard Alek follow me. I ran into Alek's room and grabbed my long brown bag, and looked at him.

"Let's go," he grabbed my hand and we sprinted out of the apartment.

"I went there already. There were a bunch of yellow caution tapes, but by then most of the police were gone. The cemetery security guards are taking care of it now, but if you tell them you're his daughter they'll probably let you through. They found out the body was missing late last night, and they're not even going to put the dirt back, because doing anything to a crime scene could 'wipe away any trace of evidence'. Which make sense, you know, but when I was there I was practically in hysterics and I couldn't even hear what the police was telling me, and-"

"Amy, breathe!" I reminded her. She was panting on the other line, and I could practically hear Paul rolling his eyes at her.

"Alright. I'll call you later, Amy. I have to go see this for myself,"

"Be careful," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "Always."

Alek and I figured that it would be faster if we ran there, so we jumped rooftops, holding hands, hair streaming behind us, cold sweat trickling down our necks. It was a sunny day, but it was windy and cold, the sunlight providing next to no warmth.

The cemetery was about six miles away, and the time we got there I collapsed onto the soft grass outside its black, tall gates.

Yes, our cemetery had black gates around it, and looked extremely creepy from the outside. But one you got in, there were tall oak trees growing everywhere, and in the spring the cherry blossom trees turned the ground pink with its petals. There were stone paths and flowers, and delicate little plates in the ground with the gold carving of the person's information on it.

"Why?" I suddenly sat up. "Why did they take my dad's body out? That's just...that's just so sick and twisted and..."

"I know, Chlo. I know," Alek sat next to me and rubbed my back. But I wasn't going to cry. Not anymore. It was time for weepy Chloe to say her goodbyes, and angry, determined Chloe to make her way in. So I abruptly stood up, startling Alek, my hands clenched into fists, and I pushed open the creaky gate.

"Let's go," I said. He nodded and held the gate open for me, and I heard it clang shut with a little rattle once he let it go.

I speed-walked over to where my dad was buried, Jasmine's sandals making a loud _clack _with every step I took. The cemetery was unusually empty today, and it echoed around us eerily. My dad had been buried way in the back of the cemetery, under the tallest oak tree with the thickest trunk.

When we got there, Amy was right. There was a railing around the hole, neon yellow police tape wrapped around them, blocking our entrance. No security guard was in sight, though.

I saw the coffin in the bottom of the whole, splintered and cracked open. I squeezed my eyes shut and willed this all to be a dream.

Dealing with his death had been heard enough – seeing his body stolen away from me? Worse.

A lot worse.

"God, Chloe...we'll find them. I swear we will. We'll find whoever did this and tear them apart," Alek growled, wrapping an arm around my waist. I laid my head on his shoulder and nodded, suddenly very worn out. But as I moved my head up and down, something glittery caught my eye.

Something in the mahogany, polished coffin. I stiffened.

"There's something in there," I said.

Alek nodded slowly. "Well, yeah. We bury people with their more cherished belongings, so they could be with them in the afterlife, or something,"

"Yea. But then why didn't the grave robber take the belongings...? What did they want with a body?" I said slowly. I cautiously got on my hands and knees and crawled underneath the security tape.

"Chloe...I don't think that's a very good idea," Alek warned.

"Just be my look-out. Okay? This won't take very long," I said. He sighed and turned around, crossing his arms across his chest and scanning the area for any security guards coming our way.

"All clear," he said. I slowly made my way into the deep hole, and little flies and slugs were stuck to the sides. I almost gagged.

This was by far the most disgusting thing I have ever done in my whole entire life.

"Alek, this is so gross," I called. He chuckled.

"Wasn't my idea!"

I was stepping on the coffin now. Crap. How was I going to get it open while I was standing on it?

….I guess I didn't really think this through.

Hey. When you're a super-powerful teenage girl, gotta use 'em when you need 'em, right? So I shrugged and punched a hole through the coffin, splintering my knuckles. But I didn't care. I ripped the top half off, and carefully placed it behind me.

There were a bunch of little things in there – valuable things. I saw his gold wedding ring, a few watches, some dead flowers, a lot of little notes written by people, and one of Mom's pearl necklaces. But what really caught my eye was a letter.

A small, white, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary envelope.

Except for what was written on it.

Or, rather, drawn on it.

It was the Order's symbol.

**Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews! :D Seriously, they were amazing and happy and encouraging and UGH I loved them. **

**I hope you liked this chapter! I made it pretty long...and tried to make it interesting? Ahaha? So it would mean a lot to me if you reviewed and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading! ^_^ **


	14. The Envelope

_There were a bunch of little things in there – valuable things. I saw his gold wedding ring, a few watches, some dead flowers, a lot of little notes written by people, and one of Mom's pearl necklaces. But what really caught my eye was a letter._

_A small, white, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary envelope._

_Except for what was written on it._

_Or, rather, drawn on it._

_It was the Order's symbol._

**Chloe's POV**

I let out a shriek and threw the envelope away from me as if it were on fire.

"Chloe? What is it?" Alek called down to me, worry lacing through his words.

"There – the envelope! That...it had the Order's symbol on it!" I stumbled through my words, falling to my knees and groping around for the envelope again.

I felt its cool, smooth surface and snagged it, and then raised my arms.

"Help me up, please," I said to Alek, on the verge of a panic attack. If I stayed in that little dirt hole for another minute, I would probably lose it.

He grabbed my arms and hoisted me up, and immediately encased me in a hug. The letter was still clutched in-between my white, shaking fingers, which had gotten snagged in-between our chests.

"You're trembling," he whispered, rubbing my back. He made soothing noises and rocked me back and forth.

I swallowed thickly and pulled away, kissing his cheek.

I wordlessly handed him the envelope, and he pried it from my fingers.

"Let's open it at home," he decided, sticking it into his back pocket.

I nodded and we joined hands, and with one last look back at my dad's grave, walked quickly away from the crime scene.

For all the commotion that was going on at the cemetery, it was hauntingly empty.

Even for a cemetery.

I shivered, and Alek pulled me closer to his side. We were practically running out of the place. The clouds had moved and covered the sun, and we could see our breaths in the air.

"Why did it get so cold?" I muttered.

We burst into the apartment and immediately dived for the couch. I started laughing as Alek rolled over the couch cushions repetitively, snuggling his body in and wriggling like a dog so he would be warm again.

He threw his head back and laughed and grabbed me, and rolled on top of me.

"See? Lots warmer," he smirked.

I pushed him off playfully, and he landed next to me on the couch. We were both laying on our sides – or else he would've slipped off of the narrow cushions.

"Lots less air that way, too," I stuck my tongue out.

We sat up, and Alek grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around us. I pulled my legs up and laid my head on his shoulder, and he reached back and took the letter out.

He handed it to me.

I took it with trembling fingers and took a deep breath.

I made no move to open it. I felt Alek shift uncomfortably beside me.

"Chlo...you know you don't have to open it if you don't want to. Nobody's making you," Alek said softly. But I shook my head violently, making my curls bounce everywhere.

"No. I need to. Even if I don't want to – I need to do this. I owe him that much," I said sternly, mostly to myself.

Alek let out a disbelieving laugh. "You don't _owe_ him anything, love. He left you and your mum for no reason at all, and now he's just troubling your lives even more by committing suicide. And he might have been a part of the organization that is planning to take all of your lives!"

My heart sank at his words, and I bit my lip and stared down at the bright white envelope. "There might have been a good reason for all of this," I whispered.

Alek didn't say anything, but I heard him sigh.

I looked at him.

He smiled drily. "Well, what are you waiting for? An eclipse? Open it."

I stuck my finger in a small gap that hadn't been glued down properly, and yanked up. The envelope tore in the wrong place, but I didn't care.

The envelope was slightly heavy, so I suspected there be at least two pieces of paper in there.

I slid my hand inside, expecting to pull out folded up paper, but there was only a small slip – about the size of a fortune cookie slip.

And on it read: _We found you._

Alek and I stared at it, our expressions bewildered.

A long, forceful shudder made its way down my back, and Alek unconsciously pulled me closer.

"What does it mean 'we found you'...?" he murmured, running a hand through his hair.

"Maybe..." I licked my lips. "Maybe they're saying that they found his body? Or something?"

He shook his head. "No, that doesn't sound right. Because...why would they be looking for him if he already worked for them? It just doesn't make sense..."

I opened the and tipped it upside down, shaking. Nothing else came out.

"I think that we're just freaking ourselves out," I said, my voice shaking and high-pitched. "This could be nothing. Just another empty threat from the Order. It wouldn't be the first one they've made."

Alek just shrugged. "I don't know. Something about this one feels...real. More dangerous."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, you would think a slab of cheese on the sidewalk in my line of direction is dangerous."

Alek smirked. "My protector instincts. And you _did_ slip on that one..."

"Shut up."

Alek laughed and patted my back. "It's okay. I'll always be there to catch you when you fall."

"Not the time for corniness!" I giggled. I placed the envelope on the floor and we laid down on the couch, the heavy blanket still wrapped around us, side-by-side.

He smiled at me and brushed a curl out of my face.

"You okay?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Yea. Why wouldn't I be?"

Alek cocked his head a bit. "I dunno. Maybe because you just rifled through your father's grave and found a threatening letter in his coffin?"

"No need to be sarcastic," I huffed. "...Well, I guess I'm a bit shaken up. I think I'm still trying to...process it."

I saw Alek's gaze flicker down to my wrists.

I nervously pulled the sleeves of my cardigan down, covering my wrists even more. Alek grabbed my hands and rolled them up.

"Don't. Scars or no scars, you're still Chloe. The Chloe that I love. You don't have to hide them from me. The scars are a part of you now, so I love them, too," Alek smiled and kissed them gently.

The little risen bumps of skin on my pale wrists looked scary even to me, but Alek was putting little baby kisses all over them.

I smiled softly and placed my palm on his cheek, swiping at his bangs with my thumb.

"Thank you."

He shrugged – well, as best he could while he was lying down.

"For what?"

"For loving me."

Alek chuckled. "It isn't a very hard task, I assure you. But say, protecting you from random cheese slices..."

I whacked him on the chest. "You are never going to let that go, are you? It was one time. _One time_! It blended in with the sidewalk!"

Alek kissed me. "It's okay. I love your clumsiness. But when you go into a fight, you're as graceful as a...well, cat."

I rolled my eyes.

And then a few things all happened at once.

The door of the apartment burst open, banging against the wall behind it.

Alek and I jumped up, and he pushed me behind his back.

And I looked at the envelope.

I picked it up.

And inside it?

Was a tiny little black tracker that we didn't see.

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	15. His Forever Sun

_And then a few things all happened at once._

_The door of the apartment burst open, banging against the wall behind it._

_Alek and I jumped up, and he pushed me behind his back._

_And I looked at the envelope._

_I picked it up._

_And inside it?_

_Was a tiny little black tracker that we didn't see._

**Chloe's POV**

Alarm burst in my chest and spread throughout my body, and I had to take a deep breath before the panic took over my thoughts and clouded my judgment. I threw the envelope onto the nearby coffee table – just in case it was possible for us to take the tracker and then trace the root, back to the Order. It landed with a short thump, scattering some loose advertisements and other envelopes on the table.

I heard shouts fill the room, and among them Alek's. He was telling me to run to the bathroom and call for help, locking the door behind me. I shot him a dirty look, pride and protectiveness replacing my fear.

"Like I'm going to leave you here and make you fight fifteen Order members alone while I cower in the bathroom? When they're here for me? To hell with that idea," I said, going back-to-back with him as the Order members surrounded us, crowding us in. His familiar, strong warmth flooded through my body and comforted me. Someone knocked over the coffee table, the contents on top spilling, cold coffee slowly dripping towards us.

Someone somewhere somehow made a move – I didn't know who it was, it could've even been me – but that movement triggered it. Cries filled the air, and limbs flew. I prayed to Bastet that Jasmine and Valentina would come home soon, but then took it back once I realized that would be putting them in danger, too. I dropped to the floor as a fist almost connected with my face, and supported all my weight on my arms as I focused all my strength to my legs as they connected with three members' shins, knocking them flat onto the floor.

Alek, alarmed by my back's disappearance, quickly glanced behind him and checked to see if I was okay. A kick loosely connected with his throat, leaving him doubled over for air.

"Alek!" I cried, quickly springing myself back up. The sight of him being hurt set panic through my system again, and my heart thumped erratically in my chest. I tried to go back into our back-to-back position we had always practiced during training, but two Order members grabbed my arms. I wriggled and scraped my foot down one of their legs, and then stomping as hard as I could on their foot. The one on my left loosened his grip, and I quickly used the force of the right one's hold and flipped myself in the air, breaking their hold while simultaneously knocking them down with a blow to the head.

"Jesus," I muttered, glancing at the broken vase on the floor. "Valentina is going to _kill _us."

I heard Alek cry out again, and I looked over to see that he had a bloody gash on his face. He was in the middle of clawing someone. I looked down to see that my claws were out as well. I had barely noticed. Some of the Order members that had been unconscious on the floor were starting to come to, and for a second I desperately wished as I pressed a pressure point in their neck to make them pass out again that we were spies, and we could use those handy little Napotine patches that would knock people out cold for hours.

Spies had it easy.

I stopped my internal blabbering and was about to step into the fight again – they had all seemed to corner Alek into a wall – when all of their watches beeped at the same time. The nasal, repetitive blaring hurt my head, and I looked at them, confused. Some of them cursed, looking down and turning off their alarm. They shared a glance and each hoisted one unconscious member up onto their shoulder.

Then, they opened the apartment door and just...left.

"Hey!" I shouted out to them, running to the door. They were already grappling down the apartment building. "What the hell was that?"

None of them even looked my way, and in a minute they all disappeared from sight.

Not that I was complaining – as much as I hated to admit to weakness, Alek and I would've lost that fight. But what were those alarms on their dorky Velcro watches? Why did they just suddenly stop fighting and flee?

"That was weird," I closed the apartment door and turned back to Alek.

Only he wasn't there.

I looked down, and saw that he had slumped to the floor.

"Jesus, Alek!" I cried, rushing over to him. I roughly pushed my stubborn curls out of my face and cradled him in my lap. His face was all bloody, and looking down I saw another gash in his stomach. His breath was coming in quick bursts, and I saw that his neck was bruised.

"Alek?" I sobbed. I quickly fished my cell phone out of my pocket and dialed Jasmine. All rational thought exited my mind as I listened to the ringing.

"Hello?"

"Jazz!" I sobbed out, panic and desperation cutting into my voice and heart. "We – we just got attacked. They're gone now, but-" I had to stop to breathe. I felt Alek clutch my hand lightly, trying to squeeze it. The way his skin was so cold on mine made me take my bottom lip in-between my teeth. "But Alek is practically dead on the floor, and I – I don't know what to do. Jazzy!"

I cried her name out, desperate for her to be here.

Some Uniter I was. Freaking out and panicking over some little thing.

But I guess to me – it wasn't a little thing. The man I loved was laying over my lap, barely breathing. We couldn't call an ambulance about this, because the human doctors and police force would wonder what happened. Now I wished Alek and Jasmine had been less lenient with me on the days they took pity on me and let me sleep instead of going with them to train.

"Chloe, you need to breathe. Breathe, alright? Mom and I are going to come back as soon as we can. Now, can you remember this? I need you to remember this for me," Calm and practical as ever, Jasmine was already giving out instructions. "623-1875. 623-1875. Chloe, remember this. Say it back to me."

"623 – 1875."

"Good. That's the number of the Mai doctor in San Francisco. Call him immediately. Get rags and apply pressure to Alek's wound. Now, Chloe. We'll see you at home."

And with that, the frantic phone call ended. I chanted the numbers in my head as I gently laid Alek back down on the floor, sprinting to the bathroom to get rags, and dialed it, my shaking fingers fumbling over the buttons.

"Hello?" A low, comforting male voice answered the phone.

"H-hi!" My voice caught in my throat as I continued to struggle to breath around my dry sobs. "My name is Chloe King, and I'm in Valentina's apartment, and my boy – Alek Petrov is on the floor, and we just got attacked by Order members, and I really need you to come over right now to help him."

No questions asked, the man was immediately all business. Which I was extremely grateful for. "I'll be right over."

I dropped the phone on the floor, grabbed the rags, and went back out to Alek. I put a rag on his stomach and apologized when he winced as I pressed down, soaking up the coppery, crimson liquid. The red soon tainted my pale skin, but I didn't care.

I whispered soothing words to Alek and myself as I cleaned some blood off his face so that it wouldn't get in his eyes.

"Chlo..." he winced when he spoke, his voice came out raspy.

"Shh," I soothed, pushing his hair back from his face as I listened intently for his heartbeat with my Mai hearing. "I don't think you should talk right now, Alek."

He just shook his head. "Chloe. Chloe King, look at me."

Instead, I looked up and took a shuddering breath. Tears brimmed my lower lash line, but I didn't know if I wanted to let them out of not. My chest swelled and I couldn't breathe. Somehow, judging by the rate of his heart and the desperation in his voice, I knew what was coming.

"Chloe," Alek tugged at my hand. I finally looked down at him, the action causing my tears to overflow. "I need you to listen to me. Are you listening, love?"

I nodded quickly, exchanging the soaked rag on his stomach for a new one. He didn't even seem to notice, his eyes catching mine and holding them with his.

"For my whole life, all my skies were grey and cloudy. I couldn't think about anything but my parents' death, and it made me angry and bitter, and a bit of a bastard."

I tried to interrupt him, but he shook his head. "No, shh. But then you came along, like a ray of sunshine, and we talked, and eventually we did more than talking. We fell in love. And you became my sun, Chloe. You became my sun, and will forever be it. You gave me laughter and joy and _love._ You have to remember that, alright? You are my forever sun."

He whispered the last part, and I heard his heartbeat quicken impossibly, and then slow.

And then it came to a stop.

I stared at his face, his gorgeous, bloody face, in shock. A choked sob erupted from my system, convulsing my body violently. Violent emotions attacked my chest, pulling and cracking my heart open until it turned into a million pieces, and then smashing the pieces even more until my heart turned to dust and mixed in with my blood.

I chanted his name over and over again, bringing my head down to his chest and clutching one of his limp hands. My chants slowly turned into shouts, and my shouts became desperate wails. Hot tears flowed down my splotchy cheeks, and the back of my eyes burned to much it was getting hard to see.

Not that I would want to see the scene in front of me – the one person I was truly sure I loved lying lifeless in front of me, the apartment a mess.

And it was too much.

It was too damn much. My vision blurred and I saw colors, swirling around in my sight and disorienting me. I felt myself fall limp beside Alek, still clutching his hand. My blood roared in my ears.

I gasped for air, but it never came.

It never came, because my air, the one thing I couldn't live without, was gone.


	16. Fake Funerals

_And it was too much._

_It was too damn much. My vision blurred and I saw colors, swirling around in my sight and disorienting me. I felt myself fall limp beside Alek, still clutching his hand. My blood roared in my ears._

_I gasped for air, but it never came._

_It never came, because my air, the one thing I couldn't live without, was gone._

**Chloe's POV**

I looked at myself in the mirror. Red eyes, splotchy skin. I didn't even make an effort to tame my loose, wild curls that hung around my face, and simply tied them back into a ponytail.

I was wearing white. A white dress. I didn't even know why.

Because I was going to a funeral.

Alek's funeral.

I glanced at the black dress in my closet, but then zoned out and my memory went back to that day. Alek and I fighting back-to-back, claws extended, the coffee table tipping over with a loud crash, papers flying everywhere, the alarms on the clock ringing, Alek bleeding, falling to the ground – the memories played through my mind quicker and quicker until it became a roaring blur.

My heart was gone. As was my sun. I ached and I couldn't breathe.

I could never breathe lately.

Flash forward to the funeral. It was disgustingly sunny, the soft rays of light beating down on my pale, unourished skin. I was dizzy and my mouth was dry as hoards of mourners dressed in black cried and clung to each other.

Valentina and Jasmine made their rounds, thanking everyone for coming.

Why would anyone even thank others for coming to a funeral?

It irked me.

Flash forward, and I was standing in front of Alek's open coffin. His skin was pale, his beautiful face void of emotion. I matched his expression, placing a hand on the side of his coffin, the cold case leeching the warmth from my hand.

And suddenly, everything went black.

A black so blinding that it almost looked white – if that were possible.

It exploded in my eyes, making me reel back and hold my hands over my face, trying to provide some protection from the ever-increasing light.

More flashbacks from that day, that fated day. My focus zoomed in on random things, little details I hadn't noticed before – like the tracker falling out of the envelope, the rug being torn, books falling off the bookshelves.

I bit back bile as my head rushed.

_What was going on?_

I shook my head and opened my eyes, licking her lips for some amount of moisture. And gasped and screamed in shock when Bastet was standing over her, the glowing figure almost too beautiful to look at. The goddess's hair flowed in thick waves to the bottom of her back, her robes falling from her body gently. Her expression was one of seriousness, her gaze focused intently on me. Strange drum beats and vibrations flowed around us, making my bones tingle.

"Uniter," Her voice rang out, power and strength backing up her voice. She had a slight accent, drawing out the 'I' in the word.

I bowed my head, and I had to clench hand hands into fists to keep my fingers from trembling. I returned, "Bastet."

"Chloe King." I looked up and saw the goddess smiling at me. "I'm sure you realize that your protector and mate has died."

I bit my tongue back on a biting remark and nodded. "Yes, I am aware."

"That funeral...it wasn't real. Your body is still on top of Alek's, unconscious. Valentina and Jasmine have just found you. They thought you were dead, too."

I blinked at her. Emotions welled up in my throat and I gagged a little. "What...what do you mean?" The itchy material of my white dress caused me to look down, and I realized I was in a wedding dress. My skin was golden and glowing and we were standing in emptiness, the floor and sky not real or plausible.

"That was just a vision of one of the futures you can have. You have two options. Not do anything, and let Alek stay -"

"No! No, I'll do anything, _anything_. Is there some way to bring him back?" I was so hopeful I was shaking.

Bastet nodded once. "You have to sacrifice one of your own lives. I highly -"

"I'll do it! I'll do it. Right now, right here. Please, Bastet, I'm begging you. I -" my voice caught in my throat and desperation grew in my chest. "Is it too late? Do I need to cut myself, or...?"

Bastet shook her head, the solemn expression never wavering from her perfect features. "This death will be bloodless but painful. Are you ready, child? Are you sure this is the path you want to take?"

"Yes. Yes, always with Alek."

Bastet nodded once. She held out a hand and reached for mine. I reached out and hesitantly touched her. And pain shot through my body. And then I collapsed.

**Time Skip**

**The next day**

"She shouldn't have done this. She shouldn't have _done _this!" someone shouted. I heard a crash and a soothing female voice.

"Alek! Will you calm down? Breaking another one of mom's vases isn't going to help anything. ...You would've done the exact same thing for her, wouldn't you?"

"That's not the _same_!" he roared.

Jasmine scoffed. "How is it not the same?"

"I...I should've been the one. I should've been the one in pain, the one protecting _her_."

Only then did I register the whimpering coming from my mouth and the waves of exhausting, nauseating pain rolling through my body.

"Mmm?" I moaned.

"Chloe?" I felt a hand squeeze mine gently. My head pounded and I groaned again.

This time, a British accent rang through the room. "Chlo? You can hear us, right?"

My heart leaped at his voice finally addressing me. I wanted to leap over to him and embrace him, never letting go, but the closest I could do to that was twitch my toe.

The soft hand was removed from mine and a bigger, warmer, calloused one replaced it. Another one cupped my cheek, and I felt his lips against my forehead.

"I'm so sorry, love...I'm _so _sorry," he murmured.

I coughed. "Why are you sorry?" I whispered, my voice like a thousand sharp needles scratching the inside of my raw throat.

He shook his head, falling to my shoulder now. He was hunched over my bed and rubbing his thumb rhythmically over the back of my hand. I heard Jasmine leave and shut the door. I heard a soft sniffle and despite the pain, my eyes shot open.

"...Alek?" I reached over with a trembling hand and touched his messy hair. He just buried his head deeper into my curls.

I smiled softly. "I'm glad you're okay."

The pain was receding now, my bones and bruises mending.

He shook his head. "Why would you do that?" His voice shook, and I felt shame tremor through his body, and I could hear his jaw working.

"You would've done the same for me," I said quietly.

He stood up, and the loss of his body contact made me shiver. "That's _different_! You're the Uniter. Your lives are important, Chloe, too important to throw away on me!"

"How is it different?" I yelled.

"_I'm _the Protector, not you!"

"Well if I didn't save you, then who would be here to protect me right now?" I shouted.

He didn't say anything back, and the room filled with our labored breathing. I noticed now that we were in his room, and I fixated my gaze on a basketball trophy on his desk.

Alek's body seemed to deflate, his chest un-puffing, his fingers uncurling, his breath leaving him. I noticed the dark circles under his eyes, and held a hand out to him. He stared at my pale hand, and sighed and walked over, placing his in mine.

"Sorry," he muttered. He leaned over me and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. I leaned up, wanting more. He chuckled and pulled away. "Thank you, Chloe."

I pulled him down on top of me and slung my arms around his neck. "I'm really glad you're okay, Alek."

He exhaled and pulled me into a hug. "I'm really glad you're okay, too."

**Bad way to end the chapter, long wait, rushed writing. D:**

**I'M SO SORRY, GUYS! High school is getting to me, and my parents are...ugh, you don't even want to know. I'm so sorry for the wait, and I really hope you liked this chapter! **

**I love all of you and your reviews, so thank you so much! ^_^ I will see you all next time, and hopefully that'll be soon! Thank you for reading! **


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